masquerade

1 of 2

noun

mas·​quer·​ade ˌma-skə-ˈrād 

1

a

: a social gathering of persons wearing masks and often fantastic costumes

b

: a costume for wear at such a gathering

2

: an action or appearance that is mere disguise or show

masquerade

2 of 2

verb

masqueraded; masquerading

intransitive verb

1

a

: to disguise oneself

also : to go about disguised

b

: to take part in a masquerade

2

: to assume the appearance of something one is not

masquerader noun

Synonyms of masquerade

Noun

• facade
• pretense
• show
• guise
• pose
• act
• disguise
• charade

Verb

• pose (as)
• play
• mock

Examples of masquerade in a Sentence

Noun

She could not keep up the masquerade any longer.

although she was deeply bored, she maintained a masquerade of polite interest as her guest droned on

Verb

He was masquerading under a false name.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Without clear criteria, intuition fills the void, and impressions masquerade as expertise. —Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026

The preview shows the night Benedict and Sophie meet for the first time at a masquerade ball. —Kelsie Gibson, PEOPLE, 15 Jan. 2026

Verb

The Indiana judge who was shot at his home by an unknown gunman previously made headlines in the high-profile case of Natalia Grace, a Ukrainian refugee accused of masquerading as a child. —Adam Sabes , Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 20 Jan. 2026

Epic Systems, which operates the largest electronic health records system in the country, filed a lawsuit in California this week accusing a set of data brokers and other entities of masquerading as medical treatment facilities in order to pull nearly 300,000 patient records. —Danielle Chemtob, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle French, from Old Italian dialect mascarada, from Old Italian maschera mask

First Known Use

Noun

1587, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1677, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for masquerade

• accolade
• ambuscade
• antegrade
• balustrade
• barricade
• cannonade
• cavalcade
• centigrade
• chambermaid
• colonnade
• countertrade
• disobeyed

Kids Definition

masquerade

1 of 2 noun

mas·​quer·​ade ˌmas-kə-ˈrād 

1

: a party (as a dance) at which people wear masks and often fantastic costumes

2

: an action or appearance that is only a disguise or outward show : pose

masquerade

2 of 2 verb

masqueraded; masquerading

1

: to take part in a masquerade

2

: to assume the appearance of something one is not : pose

masquerader noun