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

Relevance
2

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
The lip mask that changed everything sat on a shelf in Don Quijote, Tokyo’s discount megastore chain. Sughnen Yongo, Forbes.com, 12 July 2025 Designed to smooth and hydrate the delicate skin on your neck and décolleté, this two-piece mask is soaked in peptides, adenosine, and vegan collagen. Brigitt Earley, Glamour, 10 July 2025
Verb
In a Monday letter, a group of Senate Democrats pressed ICE on uniform and masking protocol. Tara Suter, The Hill, 10 July 2025 This restorative hair oil can actually help reverse some damage, rehydrate dry ends, and even mask the look of split ends. Jessie Quinn, StyleCaster, 10 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for mask
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mask
Noun
  • Every cobbled lane was blocked by revelers crowded outside the bars, all wearing white-and-red fiesta costumes.
    Tony Perrottet, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 June 2025
  • Unfolding against the backdrop of SCAD’s campus in the hilltop village of Lacoste in the Luberon Valley, honorees included actor Toby Jones, director Stephen Frears, screenwriter Christopher Hampton and James Bond and Harry Potter costume designer Jany Temime.
    Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 30 June 2025
Noun
  • Not only that, but Katie Gaudreau’s veil featured custom messages in her brothers’ handwriting.
    Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 14 July 2025
  • The post also pulled back the veil, if only slightly, on the complex and secretive process federal officials use to determine who belongs on terrorism watch lists that can influence decisions every day by employers, airport security and law enforcement.
    Dan Horn, The Enquirer, 14 July 2025
Verb
  • Fossil fuel interests disguise their obstruction as free-market pragmatism.
    Ken Silverstein, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
  • But dark secrets and hormones become issues, thanks to their latest enemy: demons disguised as a hunky boy band.
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 28 June 2025
Verb
  • Meanwhile, her makeup turned more matte with concealed under eyes like at The Blonds Fall 2014 show.
    India Espy-Jones, Essence, 11 July 2025
  • Speculation online has included allegations that the federal government was concealing information to shield powerful and prominent figures who were allegedly named in case records.
    Scott MacFarlane, CBS News, 11 July 2025
Noun
  • In heartbreak lives hope, and if June isn’t hanging up her cloak, then neither can any of us.
    Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 3 June 2025
  • The crackdown intensified sharply following the post-election unrest, the report adds, and continues today under a cloak of near-total impunity.
    Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 20 May 2025
Verb
  • So ranked-choice voting was implemented as a stop-loss remedy — a move to camouflage the practices of an industry devoted to meretricious, often nihilistic entertainments.
    Armond White, National Review, 27 June 2025
  • That shaft was later concealed and camouflaged, more recent imagery also shows.
    Vasco Cotovio, CNN Money, 17 June 2025
Verb
  • Such a deal is not going to bring about North Korea’s denuclearization, of course, and Pyongyang will likely attempt to cheat by hiding some of its nuclear facilities.
    ANDREI LANKOV, Foreign Affairs, 8 July 2025
  • Instead, Boyd said, Lawson and his father were retrieving a car that had been taken from them earlier the night of the disappearance and hidden at a residence on Boston Road, which is north of Bluegrass Parkway.
    Killian Baarlaer, The Courier-Journal, 8 July 2025
Noun
  • The hospital had run out of white shrouds to cover the deceased.
    Anas Baba, NPR, 6 July 2025
  • Two of Harold’s three wives were there, his grown children, a handful of friends and colleagues: whoever could make it so far, in such haste, to see Harold put to rest in his shroud.
    Nicole Krauss, The Atlantic, 6 July 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Mask.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mask. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on mask

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!