cam·ou·flage
ˈka-mə-ˌfläzh 
-ˌfläj
1
: the disguising especially of military equipment or installations with paint, nets, or foliage
also
: the disguise so applied
2
a
: concealment by means of disguise
The rabbit's white fur acts as camouflage in the snow.
b
: behavior or artifice designed to deceive or hide
hiding behind a camouflage of righteous indignation
camouflaged; camouflaging
: to conceal or disguise by camouflage
The makeup camouflages blemishes.
: to practice camouflage
: made in colors or patterns typical of camouflage
a camouflage jacket
Synonyms
Examples of camouflage in a Sentence
Noun
The army tanks were painted green and brown for camouflage.
The rabbit's white fur acts as a camouflage in the snow.
Rabbits use their white fur as camouflage in the snow.
Her so-called charity work was a camouflage for her own self-interest.
His tough attitude served as camouflage.
Verb
It was impossible to camouflage the facts.
camouflaged the military camp as a native village
Recent Examples on the Web
NBC News, 24 Mar. 2024
Gunmen wearing camouflage burst into a concert venue on the outskirts of Moscow on Friday, killing at least 133 people and injuring 145 others.
—Nick Spicer, NPR, 23 Mar. 2024
What captivated him then were chameleons—reptiles that change color for camouflage or to indicate excitation, rivalry, or submission.
—Rebecca Giggs, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024
The overall feel of the cover also withstood the washing machine and had minimal wrinkling, which could be attributed to the fact that the pinstriped design acted as a sort of camouflage.
—Olivia Avitt, Peoplemag, 17 Jan. 2024
Designers are connecting to nature with expressionistic takes on the traditional camouflage pattern.
—Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 12 Mar. 2024
Pilot Artem wears a camouflage balaclava and says the drone recently killed 16 Russian soldiers advancing in two groups, with two separate flights.
—Scott Peterson, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Mar. 2024
Tall laundry bins held hundreds of American military canteens and current-issue British camouflage uniforms and equipment.
—Charles W. McFarlane, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024
There are three different dial colors: khaki, camouflage and black.
—Carol Besler, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
Guad Venegas, NBC News, 2 Apr. 2024
Another unique trait: While nesting the cranes will paint their feathers with the rusty, clay soil to better camouflage themselves and protect their young.
—Sarah Bowman, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Mar. 2024
This Root Touch-Up Kit camouflages up to one inch of gray hairs in about an hour.
—Alyssa Grabinski, Peoplemag, 6 Mar. 2024
Put it toward a recipe where its looks are cleverly camouflaged.
—Antara Sinha, Bon Appétit, 22 Feb. 2024
Eggs attached to rocky bottom become camouflaged in algae
Moran, whose lab has studied polar gigantism for more than a decade, led a field research expedition in October 2021 to Antarctica with Ph.D. students Aaron Toh and Graham Lobert to study the continent's sea spider population.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2024
Michael’s seemingly desirable actions could actually be a sign of a deeper issue, camouflaged as a caring concern.
—Mark Travers, Forbes, 10 Feb. 2024
The move camouflaged McKay’s active Slack account for months, letting his account evade deletion.
—Emma Roth, The Verge, 23 Feb. 2024
Paris Jackson was a blank canvas on the red carpet after her makeup artists spent two hours camouflaging her 80 tattoos, shown on the right.
—Leah Dolan, CNN, 5 Feb. 2024
Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 27 Mar. 2024
He was described as wearing a camouflage jacket, black pants and a black backpack.
—Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Feb. 2024
He was last seen wearing a baseball cap, camouflage jacket and dark pants, police said.
—Jason Green, The Mercury News, 16 Feb. 2024
The musical performers, vendors, political signs and colorful clothing on the rally grounds contrasted with the razor wire, camouflage uniforms and weaponry stationed 20 miles south at the section of border in Eagle Pass.
—Suzanne Gamboa, NBC News, 4 Feb. 2024
The first 1,500 fans to get to the park on Opening Day will win a camouflage hat with the 15-year logo.
—Alexandra Hardle, The Arizona Republic, 23 Feb. 2024
Jackson was last seen wearing an olive green or camouflage North Face jacket, a white polo shirt, navy blue pants and red shoes, according to police.
—Bridget Fogarty, Journal Sentinel, 12 Feb. 2024
One of the suspects has been described as a male with a black and gray beard, wearing a camouflage hat and black sweatshirt.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 17 Jan. 2024
These two feel-good ideas are camouflage for something much more radical and sinister: a rewrite of the U.S. Constitution.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 4 Jan. 2024
Noun
Men in camouflage broke into the concert hall, opened fire, and set the crowded venue ablaze.
—NBC News, 24 Mar. 2024
Gunmen wearing camouflage burst into a concert venue on the outskirts of Moscow on Friday, killing at least 133 people and injuring 145 others.
—Nick Spicer, NPR, 23 Mar. 2024
What captivated him then were chameleons—reptiles that change color for camouflage or to indicate excitation, rivalry, or submission.
—Rebecca Giggs, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024
The overall feel of the cover also withstood the washing machine and had minimal wrinkling, which could be attributed to the fact that the pinstriped design acted as a sort of camouflage.
—Olivia Avitt, Peoplemag, 17 Jan. 2024
Designers are connecting to nature with expressionistic takes on the traditional camouflage pattern.
—Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 12 Mar. 2024
Pilot Artem wears a camouflage balaclava and says the drone recently killed 16 Russian soldiers advancing in two groups, with two separate flights.
—Scott Peterson, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Mar. 2024
Tall laundry bins held hundreds of American military canteens and current-issue British camouflage uniforms and equipment.
—Charles W. McFarlane, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024
There are three different dial colors: khaki, camouflage and black.
—Carol Besler, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
Verb
Matt Schroeder, a senior researcher at the Swiss think tank, Small Arms Survey, said the smugglers’ goal is to camouflage the shipments to evade authorities, who face the daunting task of screening millions of shipments in and out of ports.
—Guad Venegas, NBC News, 2 Apr. 2024
Another unique trait: While nesting the cranes will paint their feathers with the rusty, clay soil to better camouflage themselves and protect their young.
—Sarah Bowman, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Mar. 2024
This Root Touch-Up Kit camouflages up to one inch of gray hairs in about an hour.
—Alyssa Grabinski, Peoplemag, 6 Mar. 2024
Put it toward a recipe where its looks are cleverly camouflaged.
—Antara Sinha, Bon Appétit, 22 Feb. 2024
Eggs attached to rocky bottom become camouflaged in algae
Moran, whose lab has studied polar gigantism for more than a decade, led a field research expedition in October 2021 to Antarctica with Ph.D. students Aaron Toh and Graham Lobert to study the continent's sea spider population.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2024
Michael’s seemingly desirable actions could actually be a sign of a deeper issue, camouflaged as a caring concern.
—Mark Travers, Forbes, 10 Feb. 2024
The move camouflaged McKay’s active Slack account for months, letting his account evade deletion.
—Emma Roth, The Verge, 23 Feb. 2024
Paris Jackson was a blank canvas on the red carpet after her makeup artists spent two hours camouflaging her 80 tattoos, shown on the right.
—Leah Dolan, CNN, 5 Feb. 2024
Adjective
In the footage, the teenager can been seen returning to the apartment with a dog before a masked man in a camouflage jacket identified by police as Vassiliou jumps from a stairwell and grabs her.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 27 Mar. 2024
He was described as wearing a camouflage jacket, black pants and a black backpack.
—Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Feb. 2024
He was last seen wearing a baseball cap, camouflage jacket and dark pants, police said.
—Jason Green, The Mercury News, 16 Feb. 2024
The musical performers, vendors, political signs and colorful clothing on the rally grounds contrasted with the razor wire, camouflage uniforms and weaponry stationed 20 miles south at the section of border in Eagle Pass.
—Suzanne Gamboa, NBC News, 4 Feb. 2024
The first 1,500 fans to get to the park on Opening Day will win a camouflage hat with the 15-year logo.
—Alexandra Hardle, The Arizona Republic, 23 Feb. 2024
Jackson was last seen wearing an olive green or camouflage North Face jacket, a white polo shirt, navy blue pants and red shoes, according to police.
—Bridget Fogarty, Journal Sentinel, 12 Feb. 2024
One of the suspects has been described as a male with a black and gray beard, wearing a camouflage hat and black sweatshirt.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 17 Jan. 2024
These two feel-good ideas are camouflage for something much more radical and sinister: a rewrite of the U.S. Constitution.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 4 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'camouflage.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near camouflage
Cite this Entry
“Camouflage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/camouflage. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
camouflage
1 of 2 noun
cam·ou·flage
ˈkam-ə-ˌfläzh
-ˌfläj
1
: the hiding or disguising of something by covering it up or changing the way it looks
2
: the material (as paint or leaves and branches) used for camouflage
camouflage
2 of 2 verb
camouflaged; camouflaging
: to hide or disguise by camouflage
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