masquerade

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A costume party at which masks are worn; a masked ball. Also called masque.
2. n. A costume for such a party or ball.
3. n. A disguise or false outward show; a pretense: a masquerade of humility.
4. n. An involved scheme; a charade.
5. v. To wear a mask or disguise, as at a masquerade: She masqueraded as a shepherd.
6. v. To go about as if in disguise; have or put on a deceptive appearance: The stowaway masqueraded as a crew member.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. An assembly of persons wearing masks and usually other disguises, or rich and fantastic dress: usually, a dancing-party or ball. See mask-ball.
2. n. Disguise effected by wearing a mask or strange apparel; hence, concealment or apparent change of identity by any means; disguise in general.
3. n. The costume of a person who joins in a masquerade; disguising costume of any sort.
4. n. A Spanish diversion on horseback. See the quotation.
5. n. A changeable or shot silk.
6. To wear a mask; take part in a masquerade.
7. To disguise one's self.
8. To cover with a mask or disguise.

Wiktionary

1. n. A party or assembly of people wearing masks, and amusing themselves with dancing, conversation, or other diversions.
2. n. obsolete A dramatic performance by actors in masks; a mask. See “mask”
3. n. Acting or living under false pretenses; concealment of something by a false or unreal show; pretentious show; disguise.
4. n. A Spanish diversion on horseback.
5. v. intransitive To assemble in masks; to take part in a masquerade.
6. v. intransitive To frolic or disport in disguise; to make a pretentious show of being what one is not.
7. v. transitive To conceal with masks; to disguise.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. An assembly of persons wearing masks, and amusing themselves with dancing, conversation, or other diversions.
2. n. obsolete A dramatic performance by actors in masks; a mask. See 1st Mask, 4.
3. n. Acting or living under false pretenses; concealment of something by a false or unreal show; pretentious show; disguise.
4. n. A Spanish diversion on horseback.
5. v. To assemble in masks; to take part in a masquerade.
6. v. To frolic or disport in disquise; to make a pretentious show of being what one is not.
7. v. To conceal with masks; to disguise.

WordNet 3.0

1. v. take part in a masquerade
2. n. making a false outward show
3. n. a party of guests wearing costumes and masks
4. v. pretend to be someone or something that you are not
5. n. a costume worn as a disguise at a masquerade party