smoke screen
Americannoun
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a mass of dense smoke produced to conceal an area, vessel, or plane from the enemy.
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something intended to disguise, conceal, or deceive; camouflage.
noun
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military a cloud of smoke produced by artificial means to obscure movements or positions
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something said or done in order to hide the truth
Etymology
Origin of smoke screen
First recorded in 1910–15
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.
An adviser to Aksyonov, Oleg Kryuchkov, claimed that “a smoke screen was put up by special services.”
From Washington Times • Aug. 12, 2023
Drone after drone is sent above the Russian positions dropping smoke grenades, creating a smoke screen along the Russian-occupied trenches to allow vehicles to advance and confuse enemy anti-tank weapons.
From BBC • Jun. 19, 2023
Or maybe this all proves to be a smoke screen and the Dodgers ultimately go with Urías in Game 1, after all, electing to treat their apparent ace like one.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 5, 2022
That ash can stay airborne for months, spreading a smoke screen that acts like a cataract on the night sky over thousands of miles.
From New York Times • Aug. 13, 2021
“Great. I should have installed a smoke screen that makes the ship smell like a giant chicken nugget. Remind me to invent that, next time.”
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
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.
