mask
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A covering to disguise or conceal the face.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
maskIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈmæsk
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A covering to disguise or conceal the face
A cover, or partial cover, for the face, used for disguise or protection.
That which disguises; a pretext or subterfuge.
A festive entertainment of dancing or other diversions, where all wear masks; a masquerade.
A person wearing a mask.
verb
transitive
To cover (the face or something else), in order to conceal the identity or protect against injury; to cover with a mask or visor.
Cover with a sauce
transitive
To disguise as something else.
transitive
To conceal from view or knowledge; to cover; to hide.
intransitive
To conceal or disguise one's autism; to learn, practice, and perform certain behaviors and suppress others in order to appear more neurotypical.
Shield from light
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A covering to disguise or conceal the face
Used this way, mask is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use mask
- “To mask a body of troops or a fortess by a superior force, while some hostile evolution is being carried out.”verb
- “He masked his disappointment.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
The act of concealing the existence of something by obstructing the view of it.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Commonest shrew of moist habitats in North America.
A ball at which guests wear costumes and masks.
A tan discoloration of a woman's face that is associated with pregnancy or with the use of oral contraceptives.
Adhesive tape used to cover the part of a surface that should not be painted.
Scenery used to block the audience's view of parts of the stage that should not be seen.
Adhesive tape used to cover the part of a surface that should not be painted.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.