masquerade

American  

[mas-kuh-reyd] / ˌmæs kəˈreɪd /

noun

1. a party, dance, or other festive gathering of persons wearing masks and other disguises, and often elegant, historical, or fantastic costumes.

   Synonyms:

   mummery

2. a costume or disguise worn at such a gathering.

3. false outward show; façade; pretense.

   a hypocrite's masquerade of virtue.

4. activity, existence, etc., under false pretenses.

   a rich man's masquerade as a beggar.

---

verb (used without object)

masqueraded, masquerading

1. to go about under false pretenses or a false character; assume the character of; give oneself out to be.

   to masquerade as a former Russian count.

2. to disguise oneself.

3. to take part in a masquerade.

masquerade British  

/ ˌmæskəˈreɪd /

noun

1. a party or other gathering to which the guests wear masks and costumes

2. the disguise worn at such a function

3. a pretence or disguise

---

verb

1. to participate in a masquerade; disguise oneself

2. to dissemble

Other Word Forms

• masquerader noun

Etymology

Origin of masquerade

1580–90; earlier masquerada, mascarado, pseudo-Spanish forms of Middle French mascarade < Upper Italian mascherada; mask, -ade ¹

Example Sentences

People knew Sceptobius was able to masquerade as an ant, but they didn’t know how it pulled it off.

From Los Angeles Times

And the masquerade ball holds a lot of excitement and expectations for fans of the book.

From Los Angeles Times

“For over a decade, these three brothers, the defendants, masqueraded as party boys when really they were predators,” said prosecutor Madison Smyser.

From The Wall Street Journal

A Canadian man, Dallas Pokornik, is accused of masquerading as both a pilot and a flight attendant, allegedly raking in hundreds of free flights over four years, US authorities said.

From BBC

Independent restaurants have accused global corporations of being "sneaky" and "a killer" to family businesses by masquerading as indies on delivery apps.

From BBC