Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To remove a mask from.
  • intransitive verb To disclose the true character of; expose.
  • intransitive verb To remove one's mask.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To strip of a mask or of any disguise; lay open what is concealed; bring to light.
  • To put off or lay aside a mask.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To strip of a mask or disguise; to lay open; to expose.
  • intransitive verb To put off a mask.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb transitive To remove a mask from someone.
  • verb transitive To expose, or reveal the true character of someone.
  • verb intransitive To remove one's mask.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb take the mask off
  • verb reveal the true nature of

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From un- +‎ mask.

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Examples

  • I always enjoy the ersatz, erstwhile attempts to "unmask" your true identity.

    Happy Birthday To Me: BSNYC Turns 1 BikeSnobNYC 2008

  • He has boasted that his real intention was to "unmask" Arafat.

    Crocodile Tears for Gaza 2007

  • I'm a Christian but I'm not big on religion but I do produce a television program right now called "The Way of the Master" and that basically is -- it's a Christian reality program where we kind of unmask the -- the hypocrisy of a lot of modern religion that you see today.

    CNN Transcript Feb 12, 2006 2006

  • I'm a Christian but I'm not big on religion but I do produce a television program right now called "The Way of the Master" and that basically is -- it's a Christian reality program where we kind of unmask the -- the hypocrisy of a lot of modern religion that you see today.

    CNN Transcript Feb 7, 2006 2006

  • Since he left, he has in effect branded the Taba discussions as a sham and hinted broadly that his goal throughout was to "unmask" Arafat and prove him an unworthy partner for peace.

    Camp David and After: An Exchange (2. A Reply to Ehud Barak) Agha, Hussein 2002

  • The page with the list, which the authors released to "unmask" false veterans, has crashed several times since it appeared on March 26 due to excessive traffic, Vecernji said, adding that police were investigating the leak.

    The Earth Times Online Newspaper 2010

  • Jamie Bulger killer needs another new identity after cons 'unmask' him

    The Daily Record - Home 2010

  • Mr Zardari has previously vowed to "unmask" his wife's killers.

    The Latest From www.inthenews.co.uk 2010

  • A number of URL shortening sites have added or are adding new features ranging from detailed analytics about who's clicking your links and geographically where they're coming from, to features that "unmask" shortened URLs-so you know where a link will bring you before you click.

    CIO.in varsha_chidambaram 2010

  • The page with the list, which the authors released to "unmask" false veterans, has crashed several times since it appeared on March 26 due to excessive traffic, Vecernji said, adding that police were investigating the leak.

    The Earth Times Online Newspaper 2010

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