/
ˌmɑːskəˈreɪd,
ˌmas-/
n.
- a false show or pretence.
- the wearing of disguise.
▸chiefly N. Amer. a masked ball.
v.
pretend to be someone that one is not.
▸be disguised or passed off as something else:
the idle gossip that masquerades as news.
Derivative
Etymology
C16: from Fr. mascarade, from Ital. mascherata, from maschera ‘mask’.