masquerade

[ mas-kuh-reyd ]

/ ˌmæs kəˈreɪd /

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See synonyms for: masquerade / masquerading / masquerader on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

a costume or disguise worn at such a gathering.

false outward show; façade; pretense: a hypocrite's masquerade of virtue.

activity, existence, etc., under false pretenses: a rich man's masquerade as a beggar.

verb (used without object), mas·quer·ad·ed, mas·quer·ad·ing.

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.

to disguise oneself.

to take part in a masquerade.

OTHER WORDS FOR masquerade

1 mummery.

See synonyms for masquerade on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of masquerade

1580–90; earlier masquerada, mascarado,pseudo-Spanish forms of Middle French mascarade<Upper Italian mascherada;see mask, -ade¹

OTHER WORDS FROM masquerade

mas·quer·ad·er, noun

Words nearby masquerade

Maspero, mas. pil., Masqat, masque, masquer, masquerade, mass, massa, Massachuset, Massachusett, Massachusetts

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use masquerade in a sentence

In its own announcement, Amazon said domain fronting could help malware masquerade as standard traffic.
Big Tech could help Iranian protesters by using an old tool|Hana Kiros|November 11, 2022|MIT Technology Review
The masquerade strategy was especially effective at helping prey elude predators, increasing search time by nearly 300 percent.
Not all camouflage is equal. Here are prey animals’ best options|Jake Buehler|September 13, 2022|Science News
At its very basic, it’s pageantry, masquerade, and glitz, and awards are given in various categories that exhibit “realness.”
Celebrating and understanding Ballroom culture|Terri Schlichenmeyer|March 31, 2022|Washington Blade
“If near-misses masquerade as successes, then organizations and their members will only learn to continue taking the risks that produced the near-miss outcome until a tragedy occurs,” the researchers wrote.
The lab leak hypothesis — true or not — should teach us a lesson|Umair Irfan|August 27, 2021|Vox

They refused to question Modi, and allowed him to use a national disaster to bolster his image, consolidate power, stifle dissent and masquerade grandstanding as governance.
It Isn't Just Modi. India’s Compliant Media Must Also Take Responsibility for the COVID-19 Crisis|Debasish Roy Chowdhury|May 3, 2021|Time
It builds to a masquerade ball, in which Not Harry and the women don masks and commence flirting.
You Really Don't Want to Watch Fox’s ‘I Wanna Marry “Harry”’|Jason Lynch|May 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They masquerade as intellectual contests, but are really just showcases for rhetorical cleverness and public charisma.
My Debate With an ‘Intelligent Design’ Theorist|Karl W. Giberson|April 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He was supposed to come back to “masquerade the relationship,” but no such luck.
Vegan Strippers Let It All Hang Out|Kelly Williams Brown|March 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hough would have blended in seamlessly at the “Disco Africa”-themed Halloweek masquerade party held in Milan that same night.
Why It’s Time to End Blackface, Finally|Soraya Roberts|October 31, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He escorts her to masquerade parties, takes her sailing on his yacht, force-feeds her oysters.
Speed Read: 12 Naughty Bits From ‘50 Shades Darker’|Lizzie Crocker|May 4, 2012|DAILY BEAST
"I'm in a big hurry to get to a masquerade," Black Hood said as he opened the door of the taxi.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
It is you that have injured her by allowing her to masquerade as a man—a little thing like that, with nobody to advise her.
A Little Union Scout|Joel Chandler Harris
All the shabbiest tinsel and trappings of secular music passed across the trestles of this religious masquerade.
Autobiographical Reminiscences with Family Letters and Notes on Music|Charles Gounod
Between times I'm making a dress and cap for the masquerade dance.
Patchwork|Anna Balmer Myers
It was a game, but he rejoiced in it as a girl does in her first masquerade.
Riders of the Silences|John Frederick

British Dictionary definitions for masquerade

masquerade

/ (ˌmæskəˈreɪd) /

noun

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

the disguise worn at such a function

a pretence or disguise

verb (intr)

to participate in a masquerade; disguise oneself

to dissemble

Derived forms of masquerade

masquerader, noun

Word Origin for masquerade

C16: from Spanish mascarada, from mascara mask

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

masquerade

OTHER WORDS FOR masquerade

Origin of masquerade

OTHER WORDS FROM masquerade

Words nearby masquerade

Words related to masquerade

How to use masquerade in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for masquerade

Derived forms of masquerade

Word Origin for masquerade