to change the appearance or guise of so as to conceal identity or mislead, as by means of deceptive garb: The king was disguised as a peasant.
to conceal or cover up the truth or actual character of by a counterfeit form or appearance; misrepresent: to disguise one's intentions.
noun
that which disguises; something that serves or is intended for concealment of identity, character, or quality; a deceptive covering, condition, manner, etc.: Noble words can be the disguise of base intentions.
the makeup, mask, costume, or overall changed appearance of an entertainer: a clown's disguise.
the act of disguising: to speak without disguise.
the state of being disguised; masquerade: The gods appeared in disguise.
Origin of disguise
1275–1325; Middle English disg(u)isen<Anglo-French, Old French de(s)guiser, equivalent to des-dis-1 + -guiser, derivative of guiseguise
dis·guise·ment,nounnon·dis·guised,adjectivepre·dis·guise,noun,verb (used with object),pre·dis·guised,pre·dis·guis·ing.un·dis·guis·a·ble,adjectiveun·dis·guised,adjectiveun·dis·guis·ed·ly,adverbwell-dis·guised,adjective
He mentioned on Football Night in America that losing Dak might be a “blessing in disguise.”
NFL Week 5 Upsets Were Overshadowed By Dak Prescott’s Awful Injury|Sara Ziegler (sara.ziegler@fivethirtyeight.com)|October 12, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
The historian Kim Phillips-Fein thinks this may be at least a small blessing in disguise.
Is New York City Over? (Ep. 434)|Stephen J. Dubner|October 8, 2020|Freakonomics
A new normal of a mere 100 guests, to begin with, was not something many couples could have imagined, but is a change that they see as a blessing in disguise.
Coronavirus has made it easier for millennials to scale back the big fat Indian wedding|Manavi Kapur|September 18, 2020|Quartz
In August, Logically helped alert Utah officials to the fact that an anti-sex-trafficking event was actually a QAnon march in disguise, leading to its permit being revoked.
American Fringes: How the Media Makes it Worse|Nick Fouriezos|September 7, 2020|Ozy
In that sense, the reduced supply of khat — even without a formal ban — has been a blessing in disguise, says Somali anti-khat campaigner Abukar Awale, who is backing a petition to Somalia’s government that seeks to make the drug illegal.
How the Pandemic Is Saving Lives in the Horn of Africa|Eromo Egbejule|September 3, 2020|Ozy
And Pope Alexander VI had the painter Pinturicchio disguise his mistress as the Virgin Mary in one fresco.
Great Renaissance Art Thrived Amid Filth|Nick Romeo|December 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Tumid and unstoppable, there is little that new wallpaper or re-poured driveways can do to disguise it.
Silicon Valley Mansions, Swallowed Alive|Geoff Manaugh|November 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Maybe, then, the Hathahate phenomenon is a blessing in disguise.
Do We Still Hate Anne Hathaway?|Kevin Fallon|November 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Roberts and the Republicans are trying to portray the independent as a Barack Obama supporter who is just a Democrat in disguise.
The Independents Who Could Tip the Senate in November|Linda Killian|October 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Rivers, it had emerged, had told them she was Ruth Madoff in disguise, and not to speak to her or approach her when she walked in.
I Was There: Inside Joan Rivers’ Funeral|Tim Teeman|September 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Beneath this disguise was concealed a keen knowledge of art, combined with a ferocious skill in bargaining.
A Zola Dictionary|J. G. Patterson
It was wiser to disguise himself as a humble country boy and gall his feet by carrying all his gold in his boots.
English Travellers of the Renaissance|Clare Howard
Some of our folk are almost out of their minds about it, and declare you to be either a brigand in disguise or a spy.
Dead Souls|Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol
She was very pretty; she looked like a seorita in disguise; the young fellows on the island must be wild over her.
The Dead Command|Vicente Blasco Ibez
Lincoln's melancholy was evident to them all, nor did he, indeed, attempt to disguise it.
McClure's Magazine, Vol. 6, No. 5, April, 1896|Various
British Dictionary definitions for disguise
disguise
/ (dɪsˈɡaɪz) /
verb
to modify the appearance or manner in order to conceal the identity of (oneself, someone, or something)
(tr)to misrepresent in order to obscure the actual nature or meaningto disguise the facts
noun
a mask, costume, or manner that disguises
the act of disguising or the state of being disguised