masquerade
/ˌmæskəˈreɪd/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌmæskəˈreɪd/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌma-skə-ˈrād/ (ame, mw)
masquerade — noun
- masqueradesingular
- masqueradesplural
1. a formal party where guests wear masks and costumes so that no one can recognise
a formal party where guests wear masks and costumes so that no one can recognise who they really are
Hoa wore a peacock-feather mask to the charity masquerade at the old opera house.
collocation: wear [item] to a masquerade
The Venetian palace hosted a candlelit masquerade every February during the carnival.
collocation: host a masquerade
Aoi spent weeks sewing a silver gown for the New Year's Eve masquerade.
Half the guests at the masquerade refused to remove their masks even after midnight.
The university drama club throws a masquerade in the courtyard every spring.
- masked ball
near-synonym; emphasises dancing and a more formal setting
- costume party
broader — costumes without the masks-and-anonymity element
- fancy-dress ball
British English; costumes are central, masks optional
文法句型
a masquerade at [place]
wear [costume] to a masquerade
用法筆記
Almost always countable and singular with 'a'. Often modified by a place or occasion ('Venetian masquerade', 'charity masquerade'). Distinguish from sense 2 (the act of pretending): a masquerade in this sense is a specific event you attend.
常見錯誤
2. an act or display put on to hide what someone really thinks, feels, or is doing,
an act or display put on to hide what someone really thinks, feels, or is doing, so that other people are fooled
Bilal kept up a cheerful masquerade at work even though his marriage was falling apart.
collocation: keep up a masquerade
After ten years of quiet anger, Elena finally dropped the masquerade of a happy family.
collocation: drop the masquerade of [noun]
The auditors saw through the company's masquerade of healthy profits within a week.
Romi's polite smile was a masquerade — she had already decided to resign that morning.
The trial exposed a long masquerade of charity work that hid years of stolen donations.
- candour
honest openness about how one really feels
文法句型
a masquerade of [noun]
drop the masquerade
用法筆記
Frequently used with 'keep up', 'drop', 'see through', or 'expose'. The thing being faked usually follows 'of' (a masquerade of friendship, of normality). Distinguish from sense 1 (the party): this sense is abstract behaviour, not an event.
常見錯誤
3. the costume and mask that a guest wears to a masked party
the costume and mask that a guest wears to a masked party
Christopher rented a black harlequin masquerade from a costume shop in Soho.
collocation: rent a masquerade
Mira sewed a peacock-feather masquerade by hand over three weekends.
The children laughed at Grandpa's old wizard masquerade with its long silver beard.
Tamar packed her cat masquerade in tissue paper to keep the whiskers in shape.
文法句型
wear a [adjective] masquerade
用法筆記
This sense is rare in modern English — most speakers say 'costume' or 'mask and costume' instead. You will mainly meet it in older novels and in formal descriptions of historical balls. Distinguish from sense 1 (the event): sense 3 is the outfit you wear AT the event in sense 1.
常見錯誤
masquerade — verb
- masqueradepresent simple I / you / we / they
- masquerades3rd person singular
- masquerading-ing form
- masqueradedpast simple
1. to act or look like a particular kind of person or thing so that other people be
to act or look like a particular kind of person or thing so that other people believe you are that, when you are not
Devika masqueraded as a hotel guest for two nights before the receptionist noticed.
pattern: masquerade as [person]
The website masquerades as an official bank page in order to steal customer passwords.
pattern: [thing] masquerades as [thing]
For years the painting masqueraded as a genuine Vermeer before tests revealed a 1930s forgery.
Jabari masqueraded as a delivery driver to get inside the locked office building.
The chemical plant has long masqueraded as a community recycling centre.
- pose as
very close in meaning; slightly more everyday
- pass for
succeed in being mistaken for; focuses on the outside view
- impersonate
act as a specific real person, often for fraud
文法句型
masquerade as [person/thing]
用法筆記
Almost always followed by 'as'. The subject can be a person, an object, a website, or even an institution — anything that can falsely present itself. Often carries a hint of disapproval: the speaker thinks the disguise is dishonest.
常見錯誤
2. to join a celebration where the guests are all dressed up in masks and costumes
to join a celebration where the guests are all dressed up in masks and costumes
Ignacio and his cousins masqueraded at the carnival in matching jester costumes.
pattern: masquerade at [event] in [costume]
Élise loved to masquerade every February at the old Venetian palace.
collocation: masquerade at [place]
Brandon spent the whole evening masquerading as a wolf, complete with a furry tail.
The art students masqueraded through the gallery dressed as their favourite painters.
- go to a masquerade
the everyday modern phrasing
- attend a masked ball
more formal; emphasises dancing
文法句型
masquerade at [event]
masquerade in [costume]
用法筆記
Rare in modern speech — more often you'd say 'go to a masquerade' (sense 1 noun) or 'wear a costume'. Distinguish from sense 1 verb: sense 1 is about disguising your everyday identity to fool people; sense 2 is about joining a fun masked event.