1
2
as in veils
something that covers or conceals like a piece of cloth
his unexpected friendliness is just a mask, for he always has an ulterior motive
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in disguises
to change the dress or looks of so as to conceal true identity
the federal agents masked their surveillance vehicle so that it looked like an ordinary moving van
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hides
to keep secret or shut off from view
masked his real motives for wanting to see the house that was for sale
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of masks
James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
But the apparent victory masks a more complicated reality that has been building for years.
—Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026
People wear masks to hide their selfishness, deceiving others in order to satisfy their own desires.
—Kenneth Andrew Andres Leonardo, The Conversation, 6 Mar. 2026
Since federal agents fatally shot Alex Pretti in Minnesota, Democrats have remained firm in their demands for reforms, which include requiring immigration agents to wear body cameras and identification, banning them from wearing masks and mandating judicial warrants for arrests on private property.
—Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 5 Mar. 2026
An actor behind the Ghostface masks finally talks spoilers.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Mar. 2026
In January of 2021, during the twenty fourth Western Monarch Count, nearly a hundred volunteers donned their masks in the middle of the pandemic to carefully survey groves of trees on the California and Northern Baja coast for monarch butterflies.
—Literary Hub, 3 Mar. 2026
Days later, masks became optional in Chicago Public Schools.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 28 Feb. 2026
About 10 armed federal agents in masks surrounded them on all sides asking for their IDs, Duque said.
—Charlotte Observer, 27 Feb. 2026
Michelle Mastro, Martha Stewart, 7 Mar. 2026
The headline performance masks some major swings beneath the surface.
—Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 27 Feb. 2026
Still, the resilience masks a more complicated picture, economists said, given the cooling labor market and a record trade deficit in goods in December.
—semafor.com, 23 Feb. 2026
Tools like Tails create a more private operating system that runs from a USB and routes traffic through Tor Browser, which masks your IP address — good for anonymous publishing.
—Jennifer Lutz, New York Daily News, 19 Feb. 2026
Giddey purchased the home using an opaque land trust that masks his ownership.
—Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 3 Feb. 2026
But that strength masks ongoing weakness among consumers and the property sector.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 1 Feb. 2026
While meant to express closeness, this phrase often masks blurred boundaries.
—Cheryl Robinson, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
The night sky may seem calm, even serene, but that masks events of a catastrophic and nearly unimaginable scale.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 22 Jan. 2026
Noun
Fears that identifying officers could lead to violence has, in part, motivated the practice of keeping agents’ faces hidden behind masks.
—James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
But the apparent victory masks a more complicated reality that has been building for years.
—Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026
People wear masks to hide their selfishness, deceiving others in order to satisfy their own desires.
—Kenneth Andrew Andres Leonardo, The Conversation, 6 Mar. 2026
Since federal agents fatally shot Alex Pretti in Minnesota, Democrats have remained firm in their demands for reforms, which include requiring immigration agents to wear body cameras and identification, banning them from wearing masks and mandating judicial warrants for arrests on private property.
—Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 5 Mar. 2026
An actor behind the Ghostface masks finally talks spoilers.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Mar. 2026
In January of 2021, during the twenty fourth Western Monarch Count, nearly a hundred volunteers donned their masks in the middle of the pandemic to carefully survey groves of trees on the California and Northern Baja coast for monarch butterflies.
—Literary Hub, 3 Mar. 2026
Days later, masks became optional in Chicago Public Schools.
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 28 Feb. 2026
About 10 armed federal agents in masks surrounded them on all sides asking for their IDs, Duque said.
—Charlotte Observer, 27 Feb. 2026
Verb
The smell masks the insects’ chemical signals, confusing the aphids and affecting their ability to find food.
—Michelle Mastro, Martha Stewart, 7 Mar. 2026
The headline performance masks some major swings beneath the surface.
—Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 27 Feb. 2026
Still, the resilience masks a more complicated picture, economists said, given the cooling labor market and a record trade deficit in goods in December.
—semafor.com, 23 Feb. 2026
Tools like Tails create a more private operating system that runs from a USB and routes traffic through Tor Browser, which masks your IP address — good for anonymous publishing.
—Jennifer Lutz, New York Daily News, 19 Feb. 2026
Giddey purchased the home using an opaque land trust that masks his ownership.
—Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 3 Feb. 2026
But that strength masks ongoing weakness among consumers and the property sector.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 1 Feb. 2026
While meant to express closeness, this phrase often masks blurred boundaries.
—Cheryl Robinson, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
The night sky may seem calm, even serene, but that masks events of a catastrophic and nearly unimaginable scale.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 22 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for masks
Noun
-
Packaged in cosplay costumes — cowgirl, soldier, even firefighter and pilot — we were supposed to see her as strong.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
-
That’s just one case where costumes that look simple required a massive amount of testing and research; another is for the Condé Nast employees kept in a holding cell after an outbreak of the virus in their office.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The Sisters wear black floor-length habits and veils that smell of lilacs and ammonia cleaner.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Newspaper archives show couples wearing their finest attire, brides wearing veils cascading down their full-length gowns and others wearing red or pink in a nod to Valentine’s Day.—
Melissa Renteria,
San Antonio Express-News,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Crafted into undone bends, the style disguises flyaways and limp ends.—
Fiona Embleton,
Glamour,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Shortly after arriving at the home just after midnight, Nelson downloaded a phone app that disguises the phone number of incoming calls.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
This information is conveyed by a hilariously avant-garde Poulter, playing the store’s manager, who dyes his hair to match each monochromatic scheme and hides his nefariousness behind a company policy that requires techno music to be played at maximum volume at all times.—
Jada Yuan,
Vulture,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Hitting Tab hides most interface elements, however.—
Michael Muchmore,
PC Magazine,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
In the years after the monarchy was overthrown, the government required women to wear dark, long, baggy cloaks with socks and sensible shoes.—
Ashley Miznazi,
Miami Herald,
1 Mar. 2026
-
The brand, first launched in 2018, has featured a limited edition Minecraft Dungeons collaboration (with Microsoft and Mojang) for cloaks and hoodies, and Five Nights at Freddy’s wearable blankets and winter jackets.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But the late-Baroque facade of the building conceals a special, darker history, one that reflects persistent political and legal problems for the bank thousands of miles away, in the US.—
Hugo Miller,
Bloomberg,
10 Mar. 2026
-
The record collection features rare Jimi Hendrix vinyl, and the walk-in closet conceals a fur coat and chain-link purse.—
Zoey Goto,
Vogue,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Many of its songs crystallize around samples of choirs singing, their soft syllables dissolving beneath heavy shrouds of reverb.—
Sasha Geffen,
Pitchfork,
10 Mar. 2026
-
The glacier – now wrapped in vast white shrouds in a desperate attempt to slow its melting – emerges as both subject and body, altar and loss.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Again, this message gamifies violence and obscures the destructive toll of war.—
Casey Ryan Kelly,
The Conversation,
9 Mar. 2026
-
During a lunar eclipse, Earth’s shadow obscures the moon; in a solar eclipse, the moon blocks the sun from view.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Masks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/masks. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
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