What does "camouflage" mean?
A disguise or covering up.
Camouflage
/ˈkæ.məˌflɑːʒ/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A disguise or covering up.
- Grammar: camouflage is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: disguise, assume, bad copy, bad likeness.
- Useful contrasts: warning coloration, candor, color signal.
- Usage evidence: This species of moth has evolved an ingenious camouflage for blending into its surroundings.
How to use "camouflage"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "camouflage" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "camouflage" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "camouflage" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "camouflage" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "camouflage" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "disguise" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "camouflage", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A disguise or covering up. countable, uncountable
- 2 the act of concealing the identity of something by modifying its appearance wordnet
- 3 The act of disguising. countable, uncountable
- 4 device or stratagem for concealment or deceit wordnet
- 5 The use of natural or artificial material on personnel, objects, or tactical positions with the aim of confusing, misleading, or evading the enemy. countable, uncountable
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 fabric dyed with splotches of green and brown and black and tan; intended to make the wearer of a garment made of this fabric hard to distinguish from the background wordnet
- 7 A pattern on clothing consisting of irregularly shaped patches that are either greenish/brownish, brownish/whitish, or bluish/whitish, as used by ground combat forces. countable, uncountable
- 8 an outward semblance that misrepresents the true nature of something wordnet
- 9 The resemblance of an organism to its surroundings for avoiding detection. countable, uncountable
"Earless ghost swift moths become “invisible” to echolocating bats by forming mating clusters close[…]above vegetation and effectively blending into the clutter of echoes that the bat receives from the leaves and stems around them. Many insects probably use this strategy, which is a close analogy to crypsis in the visible world—camouflage and other methods for blending into one’s visual background."
- 10 Clothes made from camouflage fabric, for concealment in combat or hunting. countable, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To hide or disguise something by covering it up or changing its appearance. transitive
"THE CONCISE ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF WORLD RAILWAY LOCOMOTIVES. Edited by P. Ransome-Wallis. Hutchinson. 50s. A gaudy jacket, remarkably out of keeping with the contents, camouflages the weightiest and meatiest work on a railway topic since the war."
- 2 disguise by camouflaging; exploit the natural surroundings to disguise something wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"This species of moth has evolved an ingenious camouflage for blending into its surroundings."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "camouflage"?
Common synonyms include: disguise, assume, bad copy, bad likeness, becloud, befog.
How do you use "camouflage" in a sentence?
This species of moth has evolved an ingenious camouflage for blending into its surroundings.
How do you pronounce "camouflage"?
Pronounced /ˈkæ.məˌflɑːʒ/.
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from French camouflage, from camoufler (“to veil, disguise”), alteration (due to camouflet (“smoke blown in one's face”)) of Italian camuffare (“to muffle the head”), from ca- (from Italian capo (“head”)) + muffare (“to muffle”), from Medieval Latin muffula, muffla (“muff”). This Medieval Latin, from which there is also English muffle, is either derived from a Frankish *molfell (“soft garment made of hide”) from *mol (“softened, forworn”) (akin to Old High German molawēn (“to soften”), Middle High German molwic (“soft”)) + *fell (“hide, skin”), from Proto-Germanic *fellą (“skin, film, fleece”), or, an alternate etymology traces it to a Frankish *muffël (“a muff, wrap, envelope”) composed of *mauwa (“sleeve, wrap”) from Proto-Germanic *mawwō (“sleeve”) + *fell (“skin, hide”) from Proto-Germanic *fellą (“skin, film, fleece”).