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
  • Suzhou MoCA Curved glass and warm-toned stainless steel have been used across the structure and its facades.
    Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Pastel Colonial buildings lined the streets, their facades glowing in the afternoon sun, while the plazas hummed with life.
    Chantelle Kincy, Travel + Leisure, 19 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Because JonBenét had won several child beauty pageants, images of her in makeup and garish costumes created a spectacle around the case (which is still unsolved), and around the Ramseys.
    Kate Aurthur, Variety, 21 Sep. 2026
  • The museum’s inaugural exhibition, Star Wars in Motion, showcases vehicles, costumes—including Princess Leia’s—props, and artwork from the first six films.
    Paul Chi, Vogue, 20 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Stores couldn’t keep toilet paper, masks or hand sanitizer on shelves.
    David Goldman, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Days before the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art officially opens, protesters from the Fair Games Coalition — wearing Jedi robes and Jar Jar Binks masks and carrying lightsabers — rallied together outside the new museum.
    Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Forward Marcus Ingvartsen has led San Diego with 11 goals and five assists in 21 appearances.
    Tyler Carmona, Miami Herald, 19 Sep. 2026
  • The two candidates relied heavily on free media for most of the summer, putting videos on Instagram and inviting the news media to cover their appearances.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Conference expansion has shattered pretenses to regional coherence.
    Geraldo L. Cadava, The Atlantic, 19 Sep. 2026
  • The strategic mistake of invading Iraq on false pretenses was then compounded by tactical errors.
    Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • The Legacy rendition has comfy mid-20th century furniture, business suits for the men and groovy dresses for the friendly female neighbors, The Pigeon Sisters.
    Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Reese said that vibrant, fit-and-flare dresses are a signature for the brand.
    Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 16 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • The lightweight cream disguises dark circles, redness, blemishes, and uneven tone, melting in seamlessly enough to blend across larger areas in place of foundation.
    Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Jones’ system is multiple but predicated largely on Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ high-press scheme, with plenty of pre-snap disguises, overloaded fronts and interchangeable assignments.
    Nicki Jhabvala, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Cindy rose to fame in the 1980s and became one of the most recognizable faces in fashion.
    Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 22 Sep. 2026
  • The smart home hub will have a home screen, widgets, and clock faces like those on an Apple Watch, and an interface that looks like a combination of iOS, tvOS, and watchOS.
    Bee Wertheimer, PC Magazine, 21 Sep. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Guises.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/guises. Accessed 24 Sep. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster