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
  • This allows energy-harvesting technology to be integrated directly into architectural elements, such as skyscraper facades, glass windows, and skylights.
    Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The bakery first opened at a location across the street in 1894, with the year emblazoned on the historic building’s facades.
    Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Rodrigo Teaser of Brazil portrays Michael Jackson in this tribute concert with choreography, costumes and more.
    Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Attendees arrived sporting Malört T-shirts, jerseys, hats shaped like the bottle and Malört-themed costumes, including the Mandalorian and pope.
    Eva Remijan-Toba, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Police said the two men did not wear masks, paid to enter the museum and were clearly seen on surveillance cameras.
    CBS News, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026
  • There, nefarious things are happening behind the scenes, and this time around, the bad guys might not be wearing masks.
    Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 28 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Fights broke out when some students protested Yiannopoulos’ appearances and accused him of hate speech, while others celebrated him as a champion of free speech.
    Safiyah Riddle, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Getty Images The Atlanta Braves have employed countless players throughout their long history, from Hall of Fame stars to short-term contributors whose careers in Atlanta were measured in only a handful of appearances.
    Peter Chawaga, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • The strategic mistake of invading Iraq on false pretenses was then compounded by tactical errors.
    Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Johnson created the story of Nancy (Emilia Jones), who is not a girlfriend, but a crush who Bourdain foolhardily (and under false pretenses) follows to Provincetown after not getting a writing fellowship.
    Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 6 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • All three are in brightly colored dresses intertwined with flowers, birds, trees and mountains.
    Eileen Finan, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Shein, which built its empire—seemingly overnight—on $5 tops and $10 dresses that cannily kept pace with rapidly shifting trends, did not respond to a request for comment.
    Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 25 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Fagnano was able to diagnose some of the disguises from Minnesota defensive coordinator Brian Flores, finding soft spots in zone coverages both in the short and intermediate areas of the field.
    Daniel Popper, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The crafty wolf often relies on gaudy disguises to accomplish his schemes.
    Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 24 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Now the extraordinary, blossoming Matisse faces in the direction of the original site for which it was designed, like a living memory.
    George Baker, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The nocturnal parrots with their owl-like faces remain critically endangered, conservationists say.
    Adela Suliman, NBC news, 1 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Guises.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/guises. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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