mask 1 of 2

1
as in costume
a cover or partial cover for the face used to disguise oneself an elaborate mask that would be suitable for a fancy masquerade ball

Synonyms & Similar Words

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mask

2 of 2

verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb mask differ from other similar words?

The words cloak and disguise are common synonyms of mask. While all three words mean "to alter the dress or appearance of so as to conceal the identity or true nature," mask suggests some often obvious means of hiding or disguising something.

smiling to mask his discontent

When is cloak a more appropriate choice than mask?

Although the words cloak and mask have much in common, cloak suggests a means of hiding a movement or an intention.

cloaked their maneuvers in secrecy

When can disguise be used instead of mask?

The words disguise and mask can be used in similar contexts, but disguise implies a change in appearance or behavior that misleads by presenting a different apparent identity.

disguised herself as a peasant

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of mask
Noun
Live comedy is here to stay, sources agreed, and there will actually be a premium placed on this kind of experience amid the AI takeover, in the same way it was embraced when the N95 masks came off. Matt Grobar, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2025 An assailant in a mask and dark hoodie allegedly approached a car and stabbed the two young men inside late overnight, Stoneham Police stated Sunday. Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 12 Oct. 2025
Verb
Add An Acid Acids like vinegar and lemon help neutralize and mask odors. Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 10 Oct. 2025 For years, Jones has masked the team’s greatest defensive flaws. Kansas City Star, 10 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for mask
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mask
Noun
  • Crowds gathering at the immigration facility in recent days have adopted absurdist protest tactics, including wearing inflatable costumes depicting frogs, unicorns, axolotls, and bananas while facing federal law enforcement.
    Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
  • Throughout Lang’s brief career, there were hints of fancy dress—of the little girl who rootles around in a box of grownup costumes, trying out one look after the next.
    Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Tianna wore her hair in an elegant updo with a sheer veil.
    Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
  • The veil is the nudity and the sexuality.
    Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 15 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The perpetrator may have better disguised their actions, or stalking behavior might just be less visible, like surveilling a person online.
    Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 13 Oct. 2025
  • That job will only ever be a trojan horse to disguise the idea that started to flow from your pen night after night.
    Dana Harris-Bridson, IndieWire, 13 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Her open limbs dangle all over the velvet, her pubic triangle hardly concealed.
    Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2025
  • What begins as a crime caper morphs into an unexpected rom-com as Jeff spends more time with Leigh’s family and even joins her local church, all while concealing his real identity and living behind a display of bicycles at Leigh’s workplace.
    Keaton Bell, Vogue, 11 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Though some details remain under the cloak of invisibility, fans can expect a global theatrical re-release of the original film, special edition products and retail promotions.
    Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 7 Oct. 2025
  • Louise Donegan, my wife, [has] been working on my look for a couple of years, like the cloak thing.
    Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Litter boxes that look like furniture can help camouflage the item in your home.
    Jessie Quinn, USA Today, 15 Oct. 2025
  • Attempts to camouflage the distress may exacerbate it.
    Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • There’s no attempt to hide the staging, although the accompanying musicians are mostly unseen.
    Will Hermes, Rolling Stone, 19 Oct. 2025
  • In December 1978, Gacy confessed to kidnapping, raping and murdering dozens of boys and men, some as young as 14 years old, and hiding many of their bodies in a crawl space under the house.
    Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Some wear kittles, white burial shrouds, to signify repentance, according to History.
    Krys'tal Griffin, Freep.com, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Moraes developed computer models to simulate draping a sheet on both a 3D human form and a bas-relief carving to test which version most closely matched the figure preserved in the shroud.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 31 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Mask.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mask. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.

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