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Definition of mask noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

mask

noun
 
/mɑːsk/
 
/mæsk/
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  1. something that you wear over your face to hide it, or to frighten or entertain other people
    • The robbers wore stocking masks.
    • The kids were all wearing animal masks.
    • In the second part of the play, the actors take off their masks.
    Extra Examples
    • The man's face was hidden by a mask.
    • Two eyes glared at him from beneath the mask.
    • two men in black masks
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • face
    • facial
    • full-face
    verb + mask
    • have on
    • wear
    • don
    mask + verb
    • conceal something
    • cover something
    • hide something
    preposition
    • behind a/​the mask
    • beneath a/​the mask
    • in a/​the mask
    See full entry
  2. something that you wear over part or all of your face in order to protect it
    • a fencing mask
    see also face mask, gas mask, medical mask, oxygen mask, surgical maskTopics Healthcarec1, Sports: water sportsc1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • face
    • facial
    • full-face
    verb + mask
    • have on
    • wear
    • don
    mask + verb
    • conceal something
    • cover something
    • hide something
    preposition
    • behind a/​the mask
    • beneath a/​the mask
    • in a/​the mask
    See full entry
  3. a thick cream made of various substances that you put on your face and neck in order to improve the quality of your skin
    • a face mask
    Topics Appearancec2
  4. [usually singular] a manner or an expression that hides your true character or feelings
    • He longed to throw off the mask of respectability.
    • Her face was a cold, blank mask.
    Extra Examples
    • For a moment her mask slipped, and I saw how scared she really was.
    • He was hiding behind a mask of indifference but she wasn't fooled.
    • His fooling around is a mask for his lack of confidence.
    • He looked at me, his face a mask of innocence.
    • The mask of politeness slipped for a moment.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • blank
    • cold
    • emotionless
    mask + verb
    • slip
    preposition
    • behind a/​the mask
    • mask for
    phrases
    • a mask of indifference
    See full entry
  5. see also death mask
    Word Originmid 16th cent.: from French masque, from Italian maschera, mascara, probably from medieval Latin masca ‘witch, spectre’, but influenced by Arabic mask̲ara ‘buffoon’.
See mask in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee mask in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
dizzy
adjective
 
 
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