camouflage

camouflage

I

cam‧ou‧flage¹ /ˈkæməflɑːʒ/ noun1. [uncountable] a way of hiding something, especially soldiers and military equipment, by using paint, leaves etc to make it look like the things around it:
    soldiers learning camouflage technique
    the camouflage netting over the tanks
2. [uncountable] the type of green and brown clothes, paint etc that soldiers wear to make themselves more difficult to see:
    The men were dressed in camouflage and carrying automatic weapons.
    camouflage trousers
3. [singular, uncountable] the way that the colour or shape of an animal protects it by making it difficult to see in the area in which it lives:
    The whiteness of the arctic fox acts as camouflage, hiding it from its enemies.
4. [singular, uncountable] behaviour that is designed to hide something
    camouflage for
    Aggression is often a camouflage for insecurity.

II

camouflage² verb [transitive]
to hide something, especially by making it look the same as the things around it, or by making it seem like something else
    camouflage something with something
    I saw a truck, heavily camouflaged with netting and branches.
    The strain she was under was well camouflaged by skilful make-up.
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ hide to make something difficult to see or find, or to not show your true feelings: He hid the gun in his pocket. | She tried to hide her anger. | The actress put up a hand to hide her face from the cameras.
   ▪ conceal formal to hide something, especially by carefully putting it somewhere. Also used when talking about hiding your feelings, especially in negative sentences: Several kilos of drugs were concealed in the back of the truck. | He could not conceal his feelings any longer. | The girl quickly concealed the photograph she had been gazing at.
   ▪ cover up to put something over another thing that you do not want people to see, in order to hide it completely: People cover up cracks with wallpaper or tiles. | I used some make-up to cover up the spots. | She was wearing a thin shawl to cover up the bruises on her arm.
   ▪ disguise to make someone or something seem like a different person or thing, so that other people cannot recognize them: She managed to get into the camp by disguising herself as a soldier. | The men had disguised the vessel as fishing boat.
   ▪ camouflage to hide something by covering it with materials that make it look like the things around it: We camouflaged the plane by covering it with leaves. | The troops used charcoal to camouflage their faces. | Soldiers had camouflaged the trucks with branches and dirt.
   ▪ obscure literary to make it difficult to see something clearly: The view was obscured by mist. | His body was found, partially obscured by bushes, at the bottom of a shallow canyon.
   ▪ mask to make something less noticeable, for example a taste, a smell, a sound, or a feeling: The lemon helps to mask the taste of the fish. | Helen had turned on the radio to mask the noise of the traffic. | He did little to mask his contempt.