masquerade

[ mas-kuh-reyd ]
See synonyms for: masquerademasqueradingmasquerader on Thesaurus.com

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

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

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

  2. 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.
  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.

  1. to take part in a masquerade.

Origin of masquerade

1
1580–90; earlier masquerada, mascarado,pseudo-Spanish forms of Middle French mascarade<Upper Italian mascherada;see mask, -ade1

Other words for masquerade

Other words from masquerade

  • mas·quer·ad·er, noun

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How to use masquerade in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for masquerade

masquerade

/ (ˌmæskəˈreɪd) /


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

  2. the disguise worn at such a function

  1. a pretence or disguise

verb(intr)
  1. to participate in a masquerade; disguise oneself

  2. to dissemble

Origin of masquerade

1
C16: from Spanish mascarada, from mascara mask

Derived forms of masquerade

  • masquerader, noun

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