guises

plural of guise
1
2
as in costumes
clothing chosen as appropriate for a specific situation she felt as though she should be wearing some sort of Germanic guise, complete with dirndl, for the fall festival featuring traditional German food and drink

Synonyms & Similar Words

3
as in masks
clothing put on to hide one's true identity or imitate someone or something else he sneaked into the castle to rescue Ivanhoe in the guise of a priest coming to give Ivanhoe his last rites

Synonyms & Similar Words

4

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 guises Throughout the weekend, Dudamel embraced the worlds of Hollywood, Latin music in many guises and old-fashioned rock. — Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026 With their traditional, legacy rivals — the Manchester clubs, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur — in various guises of transition, Arsenal are suddenly the team to beat and the Emirates is suddenly a library of sound; noise please. — George Caulkin, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026 Somewhere between a sandal and a ballet flat, caged silhouettes come in all manner of guises. — Sarah Leigh Bannerman, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 July 2026 Opponents of affirmative action, who suspect that the process is still continuing under other guises, could seek to replicate the winning strategy of the Harvard and UNC cases, if testing data show large, unexplainable gaps in academic preparation among different student groups. — Idrees Kahloon, The Atlantic, 9 June 2026 Dwayne Johnson is a confident guy and has donned any number of ridiculous guises during his Saturday Night Live hosting gigs over the years. — Jesse Hassenger, Entertainment Weekly, 28 May 2026 Over the years, audiences have seen the Negotiator under many guises, like a martial arts expert, a cowboy, and even a mariachi musician. — Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 12 May 2026 Farage has been through various guises. — Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 8 May 2026 By the time my story about him was published in the November 2023 issue of Vanity Fair, Aryeh Dodelson, and all of his guises, had disappeared from the face of the earth. — Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 3 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for guises
Noun
  • Its glassy face leans into a zigzag pattern across its facades and from some angles looks like a retro video game.
    — Edward Keegan, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026
  • The 16-acre complex of SCAD Savannah Film Studios added new professional soundstages and more than 50 backlot facades and practical interiors to Savannah’s production landscape.
    — Isabelle Farina, Variety, 26 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • The sheriff's office shared photos of the couple, who were wearing matching dinosaur costumes, in custody.
    — Dan Raby, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Juliza Jimenez, 21, of Yorkville and her sister Juliana, 14, both underwent the lengthy spray body-painting process and wore the colorful costumes Sunday.
    — Rick West, Chicago Tribune, 2 Nov. 2026
Noun
  • My contribution is a basket holding as many NAD+ liposomal packs and sheet masks as my carry-on suitcase could fit.
    — Michaela Trimble, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Their SoHo showroom, opened earlier this year, brings it all together in a moody interior—which also features vintage steel molds used to cast Frankenstein Halloween masks, above a spiky metal light fixture called Crown of Thorns.
    — Francesca Perry, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Both teams wore commemorative jersey patches honoring the late NBA coach Rick Adelman, who led the Kings to eight consecutive playoff appearances from 1998 through 2006.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 24 Oct. 2026
  • The former Bellator heavyweight champion earned his 15th victory in 20 UFC appearances.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Shirley has since visited other states in the US under similar pretenses, showing up unannounced to grocery stores and hospice centers in search of evidence of fraud.
    — Mia Sato, The Verge, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Conference expansion has shattered pretenses to regional coherence.
    — Geraldo L. Cadava, The Atlantic, 19 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Some with similar gowns even offered Ippolito the chance to borrow their dresses for her wedding next year.
    — Allison Kiehl, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Many wore romantic wedding dresses with long lace sleeves or wraps—and one even wore boots down the aisle.
    — Anna Grace Lee, Vogue, 28 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Authorities at the Villages denied him access, and the shoot required him to dodge security guards, charm subjects, and occasionally adopt disguises.
    — Alex Barasch, Vulture, 19 Oct. 2026
  • More than historical curiosities, such stories reveal how elaborate disguises can become necessary as a means of survival in a world that denies people the freedom to be themselves — both historically and today.
    — Katherine Brodsky, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • There are two new faces leading South Florida’s historically Black districts, but neither is much of a surprise to voters in the deeply Democratic districts.
    — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 4 Nov. 2026
  • What Florida lacks is a straightforward admission-specific standard that applies whenever a business asks visitors to use their faces as tickets.
    — Burak Oktenli, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Nov. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Guises.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/guises. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026.

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