Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

masking

American  
[mas-king, mah-sking] / ˈmæs kɪŋ, ˈmɑ skɪŋ /

noun

  1. backing.

  2. Psychology. obscuring, partially or completely, one sensory process by another, as the dulling of the sense of taste by smoking.


masking British  
/ ˈmɑːskɪŋ /

noun

  1. the act or practice of masking

  2. psychol the process by which a stimulus (usually visual or auditory) is obscured by the presence of another almost simultaneous stimulus

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Etymology

Origin of masking

First recorded in 1920–25; mask + -ing 1, -ing 2

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

And we exposed a network of high street shops selling illegal tobacco fronted by "ghost directors" masking the real owners.

From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026

They came with playful code names like “Fort Spunky” and “Project Panther,” masking the names of the tech companies that would operate them.

From Salon • Jun. 6, 2026

But they have also bought from neighboring countries that are masking Sudanese gum as local, traders say.

From Los Angeles Times • May 31, 2026

“Almost every week, there are different companies that come to us …masking if we have compute that they could buy from us at some premium,” Zuckerberg said on Wednesday at Meta’s annual investor meeting.

From MarketWatch • May 28, 2026

Roll of masking tape clamped in her teeth.

From "The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle" by Leslie Connor

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember "masking" for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com