disguise
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to change your appearance so that people do not know who you are.
v.to alter the appearance of a person or object to prevent recognition or to assume a different identity.
Simple“The spy disguised himself as a waiter to get into the private party.”
In context“The undercover operative disguised her voice and appearance so effectively that even her closest colleagues failed to identify her during the exercise.”
Synonyms - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to hide a feeling, a fact, or a bad situation so that people don't notice it.
v.to conceal the true nature, quality, or existence of something by providing a false appearance or impression.
Simple“She tried to disguise her disappointment with a forced smile.”
In context“The company attempted to disguise its falling profits by highlighting minor successes in its annual report to shareholders.”
Synonyms - 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.things like clothes, hair, or makeup that you wear to hide who you are.
n.the materials, such as apparel or cosmetics, used to alter one's appearance for the purpose of concealment.
Simple“He wore a wig and glasses as a disguise so no one would recognize him.”
In context“The thief's disguise was so convincing that security guards allowed him access to the restricted area without a second glance.”
Synonyms - 04 C1 Advanced
n.the way something looks on the outside that hides what it really is.
n.a deceptive outward appearance that masks the true nature of a situation or object.
Simple“The new law was just a disguise for a tax increase.”
In context“The charitable foundation served as a thin disguise for the billionaire's political lobbying efforts.”
“As handsome as they may seem, he had said, they may be dolphins in disguise.”
“What if, in a lost version of the text, this interloper is Odysseus in disguise?”
From Middle English disgisen, disguisen, borrowed from Old French desguiser (modern French déguiser), itself derived from des- (“dis-”) (from Latin dis-) + guise (“guise”) (from a Germanic source).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.