guise

noun

1
: a form or style of dress : costume
attended the masquerade in the guise of a court jester
2
a
obsolete : manner, fashion
b
archaic : a customary way of speaking or behaving
3
a
: external appearance : semblance
The android is a machine in human guise.
b
: pretext
swindles people under the guise of friendship

Examples of guise in a Sentence

he sneaked into the castle to rescue Ivanhoe in the guise of a priest coming to give Ivanhoe his last rites she felt as though she should be wearing some sort of Germanic guise, complete with dirndl, for the fall festival featuring traditional German food and drink
Recent Examples on the Web Another possibility is that men adopted the guise as a means of courtship. Susan Portnoy, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Jan. 2024 However, promoters have seized on the complexities of trusts, packaging and marketing various types of trust arrangements to unsuspecting taxpayers under the guise that using their specific trust will eliminate or defer federal income taxes. Matthew Roberts, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024 In recent years, the use of AI in public spaces to detect people’s behaviors, movements, or identities has increased—often through the guise of smart city approaches. Matt Burgess, WIRED, 8 Feb. 2024 Even the look on her face alters, a flat guise replaced by a scowl. Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Feb. 2024 Electromagnetism is everywhere, and humans have observed its many guises for thousands of years. Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 20 Dec. 2023 In the following decades, quite independently of the politics swirling around her, Sherman continued to deploy her face and body in fanciful guises that ran the gamut from an Italian Renaissance Madonna to an All-American clown. Nancy Princenthal, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2024 Its professional league, in whatever guise, was the gold standard of the sport. Rory Smith, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2023 Existing in various forms since the 1930s, the train now features in two guises: a regular commuter train and a tourist version that influencers have leapt on. Monisha Rajesh, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'guise.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English gise, guise, from Anglo-French, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German wīsa manner — more at wise

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of guise was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near guise

Cite this Entry

“Guise.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/guise. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

guise

noun
1
: a form or style of dress : costume
in the guise of a shepherd
2
: outer or disguised appearance : semblance
swindled people under the guise of friendship

Biographical Definition

Guise 1 of 2

biographical name (1)

ˈgēz,
also
ˈgwēz How to pronounce Guise (audio)
2nd Duc de 1519–1563 François de Lorraine French soldier and politician

Guise

2 of 2

biographical name (2)

3rd Duc de 1550–1588 Henri I de Lorraine French soldier and politician

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