Dictionary

smokescreen en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈsmoʊkˌskɹin/ (General-American)
• (US) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree Old English smoca Middle English smoke English smoke English screen English smokescreen From smoke + screen.

Meanings

1. Smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover, as of troops in battle.
   • Ensign Whitely began to tell of the surprise encounter of Admiral Sprague’s escort-carrier force with the main battle line of the Japanese Navy off Samar, in a chaos of rain squalls and smoke screens. 1951, Herman Wouk, The Caine Mutiny, Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Chapter 25, Part 5, p. 284:
   • However, before most of this was experimentally and observationally discovered, they were perhaps best known for their “almost unique” ability to squirt ink when harangued, creating a smokescreen before jetting off to safety. 2017 August 9, Mark Carnall, “Why do cephalopods produce ink? And what's ink made of, anyway?”, in The Guardian:
   • C.I.E. Class "D14" 4-4-0 No. 89 covers its tracks with a magnificent smokescreen as it pulls out of Dun Laoghaire with the 9.0 a.m. boat train for Dublin. 1959 September, “Talking of Trains”, in Trains Illustrated, page 401, photo caption:
2. (figuratively) Anything used metaphorically to conceal or distract.
   • It was all very plausible and, as he poured out his smokescreen of words, I became fidgety for fear Fallon would be too direct with him. 1968, Desmond Bagley, chapter 8, in The Vivero Letter, Garden City, NY: Doubleday, page 163:
   • All that talk is just a smokescreen to disguise the fact that he has nothing to say.

Forms

Relateds

smoke test

Translations (77)

es cortina de humo (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · de Vorwand (anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract) · sv dimridå (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · es cortina de humo (anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract) · sv rökridå (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · de Ablenkung (anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract) · de Rauchschleier (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · cs kouřová clona (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · lt dūmų uždanga (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · de Deckmantel (anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract) · hu álca (anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract) · cmn 掩飾物 /掩饰物 (anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract) · cmn 煙幕 /烟幕 (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · nb røykskjerm (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · sv dimridå (anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract) · fi savuverho (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · pt fachada (anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract) · de Ablenkungsmanöver (anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract) · nl rookgordijn (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · tr sis perdesi (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · ar سِتَار دُخَانِيّ (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · da røgslør (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · sh dimna zavjesa (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · be дымава́я заве́са (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · lv aizsegs (anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract) · ga brat deataigh (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · cmn 障眼法 (anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract) · lv dūmu aizsegs (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · ko 연막 (anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract) · cmn 煙氣幕 /烟气幕 (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · de Nebelschleier (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · mk димна завеса (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · fi savuverho (anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract) · uk димова́ засло́на (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · vi hoả mù (anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract) · sv rökridå (anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract) · de Deckmantel (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · et suitsukate (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · vi hoả mù (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · cmn 幌子 (anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract) · fr rideau de fumée (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · gl cortina de fume (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · de Tarnmanöver (anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract) · pl zasłona dymna (anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract) · fr écran de fumée (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · pt cortina de fumaça (anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract) · bg ди́мна заве́са (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · az tüstü pərdəsi (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · ja 煙幕 (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · sh димна завеса (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · ko 연막 (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · ja 煙幕 (anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract) · hu ködösítés (anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract) · de Rauchvorhang (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · hu félrevezetés (anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract) · hy ծխածածկույթ (anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract) · hu elterelés (anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract) · de Vernebelung (anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract) · it cortina fumogena (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · uk димова́ заві́са (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · fr écran de fumée (anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract) · de Nebelwand (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · sk dymová clona (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · hy ծխածածկույթ (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · sh димна завјеса (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · pl zasłona dymna (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · hu ködfüggöny (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · be дымава́я засло́на (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · sh dimna zavesa (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · gl cortina de fume (anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract) · pt cortina de fumaça (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · de Nebelvorhang (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · ru дымова́я заве́са (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · sl dimna zavesa (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · pt cortina de fumo (anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract) · pt cortina de fumo (smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover) · tr sis perdesi (anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract)