camouflage

[ kam-uh-flahzh ]
See synonyms for camouflage on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the act, means, or result of obscuring things to deceive an enemy, as by painting or screening objects so that they are lost to view in the background, or by making up objects that from a distance have the appearance of fortifications, guns, roads, etc.: Was camouflage used extensively on fighter aircraft during World War I?

  2. concealment by some means that alters or obscures the appearance: Drab plumage provides the bird with camouflage against predators.

  1. a device or stratagem used for concealment: His loud laughter is really camouflage for his basic shyness.

  2. clothing made of fabric with a mottled design, usually in shades of green and brown, as that used in military camouflage: The street vendors are all selling camouflage this week: pants, jackets, T-shirts, even underwear!

adjective
  1. (of fabric or clothing) made with or having a mottled design, as that used in military camouflage: a camouflage T-shirt.

verb (used with object),cam·ou·flaged, cam·ou·flag·ing.
  1. to disguise by means of camouflage: to camouflage ships by painting them gray.

verb (used without object),cam·ou·flaged, cam·ou·flag·ing.
  1. to use camouflage: The angel shark camouflages in the sand.

Origin of camouflage

1
First recorded in 1915–20; from French, equivalent to camoufl(er) “to disguise” (probably a verbal derivative of camouflet ) + -age noun suffix; see camouflet, -age

Other words for camouflage

Other words from camouflage

  • cam·ou·flage·a·ble, adjective
  • cam·ou·flag·er, noun
  • cam·ou·flag·ic, adjective
  • un·cam·ou·flaged, adjective
  • well-cam·ou·flaged, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use camouflage in a sentence

  • Hundreds of letters camouflaged with good wishes and invariably asking favours.

    My Wonderful Visit | Charlie Chaplin
  • Here was a tiny ambuscade roofed over with sod and camouflaged on its one side with dead herbage, wherein two soldiers crouched.

    The Glory of The Coming | Irvin S. Cobb
  • It was concealed under an improvised shed carefully camouflaged, and was brought out on rails, in a horizontal position.

    The Romance of the Red Triangle | Arthur Keysall Yapp
  • Children were balancing themselves on the barrels of abandoned German cannon and climbing about the huge camouflaged trucks.

    War in the Garden of Eden | Kermit Roosevelt
  • Cigars were camouflaged cabbage-leaves, with little or no flavor, and the beer sadly fallen off from its pre-war glory.

    War in the Garden of Eden | Kermit Roosevelt

British Dictionary definitions for camouflage

camouflage

/ (ˈkæməˌflɑːʒ) /


noun
  1. the exploitation of natural surroundings or artificial aids to conceal or disguise the presence of military units, equipment, etc

  2. (modifier) (of fabric or clothing) having a design of irregular patches of dull colours (such as browns and greens), as used in military camouflage

  1. the means by which animals escape the notice of predators, usually because of a resemblance to their surroundings: includes cryptic and apatetic coloration

  2. a device or expedient designed to conceal or deceive

verb
  1. (tr) to conceal by camouflage

Origin of camouflage

1
C20: from French, from camoufler, from Italian camuffare to disguise, deceive, of uncertain origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for camouflage

camouflage

[ kămə-fläzh′ ]


  1. Protective coloring or another feature that conceals an animal and enables it to blend into its surroundings. Compare warning coloration.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.