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Noun: masquerade  ,mas-ku'reyd
  1. A party of guests wearing costumes and masks
    "The annual Halloween masquerade party was the highlight of the social calendar";
    - masquerade party, masque, mask
     
  2. A costume worn as a disguise at a masquerade party
    "His pirate masquerade costume won first prize";
    - fancy dress, masquerade costume
     
  3. Making a false outward show
    "a beggar's masquerade of wealth";
    - charade
Verb: masquerade  ,mas-ku'reyd
  1. Pretend to be someone or something that you are not
    "he is masquerading as an expert on the internet"; "This silly novel is masquerading as a serious historical treaty"
     
  2. Take part in a masquerade
    "They masqueraded as ghosts for the Halloween party"

Derived forms: masquerades, masqueraded, masquerading

Type of: costume, disguise, impersonate, mask, party, personate, pose, pretence [Brit, Cdn], pretending, pretense [N. Amer], simulation

Encyclopedia: Masquerade