masquerade
Americannoun
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a party, dance, or other festive gathering of persons wearing masks and other disguises, and often elegant, historical, or fantastic costumes.
- Synonyms:
- mummery
-
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)
-
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.
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
-
to participate in a masquerade; disguise oneself
-
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Bohemian second son has so far refused to settle down, but this all changes when he meets a masked lady in silver at a masquerade ball.
From BBC • Feb. 26, 2026
As historian David Garrow documents, King believed that violence collapsed the moral clarity the movement depended on, allowing repression to masquerade as order.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026
The only question left is how long she can keep up the masquerade before even her audience sees through it.
From Salon • Dec. 24, 2025
College Football Brain is why we still have Zombie Bowl games layered on top of this 12-team playoff, as if anyone actually cares or comprehends why the quarterfinal needs to masquerade as the Cotton Bowl.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 1, 2025
He couldn’t even come up with something to masquerade as a gift.
From "Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story" by Nora Raleigh Baskin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
