mascara
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of mascara
1885–90; < Spanish: mask; see mask
Explanation
Mascara is makeup that makes your eyelashes look longer and thicker. If you wear mascara while watching a really sad movie, you may end up with black smudges under your eyes. Some people wear mascara every day, to darken their lashes or accent their eyes. Others save mascara — along with lipstick and eye shadow — for special occasions. Some form of mascara has been around for thousands of years, dating back to ancient Egypt, when kohl was used to color eyelashes. In English, this cosmetic was called mascaro from the 1880s until the 1920s, from the Italian word maschera, or "mask."
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.
See Examples For:
She orders groceries, sanitary napkins and cosmetics like mascara, saving herself a weekly grocery-store run.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 23, 2026
Expect a lot of smudged mascara as the pair receive a send-off to remember.
From BBC ● Dec. 21, 2025
“My father would walk into the room and he would light it up,” she says, wiping her mascara in a confessional.
From Salon ● May 5, 2025
They’ve even found their way into makeup; Hailey Bieber’s brand Rhode released a popular peptide-packed lip tint last year, and you can find them in mascara, eye shadow, blush … the list goes on.
From Slate ● May 4, 2025
Her eyes were puffy slits rimmed with washed-out mascara.
From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin
The chemicals have also been used to create everyday items like nonstick pans, fast food packaging and waterproof clothing and mascaras.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 10, 2024
Skin and hair care products remain popular, with Ulta Beauty offering up to 40% discount on CoverGirl and Lancome mascaras, Bobbi Brown concealers and select products of its own label.
From Reuters ● Nov. 21, 2023
Researchers tested more than 230 commonly used cosmetics and found that 56% of foundations and eye products, 48% of lip products and 47% of mascaras contained fluorine - an indicator of PFAS.
From Washington Times ● Apr. 7, 2023
The study found fluorine in 56 percent of foundations and eye products, 48 percent of lip products and 47 percent of mascaras.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 15, 2021
Tall and dapper in a gray-pinstriped suit, he hustles over to a stack of baskets nestled near a rack of mascaras.
From New York Times ● Mar. 26, 2011
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.
