From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishldoce_217_emaskmask1 /mɑːsk $ mæsk/ ●●○ noun [countable] 1 HIDE/MAKE IT HARD TO FIND OR SEEPROTECTsomething that covers all or part of your face, to protect or to hide it a surgical face mask He was attacked and robbed by two people wearing masks.2 
APDLsomething that covers your face, and has another face painted on it, which is used for ceremonies or special occasions a Halloween mask3 [usually singular]HIDE/NOT SHOW an expression or way of behaving that hides your real emotions or character SYN front Her sarcasm is a mask for her insecurity.4 a substance that you put on your face and leave there for a short time to clean the skin or make it softer SYN face pack a facial mask → death mask, gas mask
APDLsomething that covers your face, and has another face painted on it, which is used for ceremonies or special occasions a Halloween mask3 [usually singular]HIDE/NOT SHOW an expression or way of behaving that hides your real emotions or character SYN front Her sarcasm is a mask for her insecurity.4 a substance that you put on your face and leave there for a short time to clean the skin or make it softer SYN face pack a facial mask → death mask, gas maskExamples from the Corpus
mask• His face was a mask, friendly, but in an impersonal way.• You will need to think carefully about modifiers for wearing a mask.• At the Spinning Wheel Puppets exhibit, children can create masks and puppets.• In Japanese Kabuki theater, the actors wear special masks.• I put my hand over my nose and mouth like a surgical mask just in case I inhaled any of Senga.• Workers in surgical masks are running a hydraulic compressor and tractor-trailer drivers are warming up their big rigs.• Keep the gondola, the mask too.• But can the child transcend the blackness and wear the white mask with pride?wearing masks• Some members said it degraded the chamber to allow outlaws wearing masks to address it.maskmask2 verb [transitive] 1 NOTICEif a smell, taste, sound etc is masked by a stronger one, it cannot be noticed because of the stronger one Liz turned on a radio to mask the noise. Air-fresheners mask bad smells instead of removing them.► see thesaurus at hide2 HIDE/NOT SHOWto hide your feelings or the truth about a situation Men often mask their true feelings with humour.3 HIDE/MAKE IT HARD TO FIND OR SEEto cover or hide something so that it cannot be clearly seen The new accommodation block has all but masked the original building.→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
mask• His public image masked a history of divorce and family problems.• All of this mumbo-jumbo masks a large vacuum of uncertainty.• It occurred to her that her inability to contemplate changing her teaching methods might mask an actual inability to change them.• The wall can be cleaned of graffiti and masked by vegetation.• Quiet reaction in camps masks desperation of boat people.• Some may mask instead of eliminate the odor, and others are not safe for use around food.• To deny our depression, to mask it, or to try to escape it for ever leads to misery.• Throughout history, herbs and spices have masked odors and unpleasant flavors.• It reflects the inviolability of family life that in our society helps to mask the darker side of caring and dependency.• And he thinks the gloss that surrounds some 4AD groups is only there to mask the lack of real songs.• Small children find it hard to mask their emotions.Origin mask1 (1500-1600) French masque, from Old Italian maschera 