Standard Lemma guide

smokescreen

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /ˈsmoʊkˌskɹin/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: S M OW1 K S K R IY2 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover, as of troops in battle.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Anything used metaphorically to conceal or distract.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

Examples

  • All that talk is just a smokescreen to disguise the fact that he has nothing to say.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

an action intended to conceal or confuse or obscure

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • requesting new powers of surveillance is just a smokescreen to hide their failures

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: smoke screen

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: concealment, concealing, hiding

4

noun

Meaning 4

(military) screen consisting of a cloud of smoke that obscures movements

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: smoke screen

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: screen

History

Etymology

From smoke + screen.

Across languages

Translations

76 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: سِتَار دُخَانِيّ (sitār duḵāniyy) — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • Armenian: ծխածածկույթ (cxacackuytʻ) — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • Azerbaijani: tüstü pərdəsi — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • Belarusian: дымава́я заве́са (dymavája zavjésa) — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • Belarusian: дымава́я засло́на (dymavája zaslóna) — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • Bulgarian: ди́мна заве́са (dímna zavésa) — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • Chinese Mandarin: 煙幕 /烟幕 (yānmù) — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • Chinese Mandarin: 煙氣幕 /烟气幕 (yānqìmù) — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • Czech: kouřová clona — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • Danish: røgslør — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • Dutch: rookgordijn — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • Estonian: suitsukate — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • Finnish: savuverho — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • French: écran de fumée — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • French: rideau de fumée — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • Galician: cortina de fume — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • German: Nebelwand — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • German: Nebelvorhand — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • German: Nebelschleier — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • German: Deckmantel — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • German: Rauchvorhang — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • Hungarian: ködfüggöny — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • Irish: brat deataigh — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • Italian: cortina fumogena — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • Japanese: 煙幕 (enmaku) — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • Korean: 연막 (yeonmak) — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • Latvian: dūmu aizsegs — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • Lithuanian: dūmų uždanga — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • Macedonian: димна завеса (dimna zavesa) — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • Norwegian Bokmål: røykskjerm — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • Polish: zasłona dymna — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • Portuguese: cortina de fumaça — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • Portuguese: cortina de fumo — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • Russian: дымова́я заве́са (dymovája zavésa) — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • Serbo-Croatian: димна завеса — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • Serbo-Croatian: димна завјеса — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • Serbo-Croatian: dimna zavesa — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • Serbo-Croatian: dimna zavjesa — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • Slovak: dymová clona — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • Slovene: dimna zavesa — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • Spanish: cortina de humo — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • Swedish: rökridå — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • Swedish: dimridå — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • Turkish: sis perdesi — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • Ukrainian: димова́ заві́са (dymová zavísa) — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • Ukrainian: димова́ засло́на (dymová zaslóna) — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • Vietnamese: hoả mù — smoke used as a disguise, mask or cover
  • Armenian: ծխածածկույթ (cxacackuytʻ) — anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract
  • Chinese Mandarin: 掩飾物 /掩饰物 — anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract
  • Chinese Mandarin: 幌子 (huǎngzi) — anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract
  • Chinese Mandarin: 障眼法 — anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract
  • Finnish: savuverho — anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract
  • French: écran de fumée — anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract
  • Galician: cortina de fume — anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract
  • German: Vorwand — anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract
  • German: Ablenkung — anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract
  • German: Ablenkungsmanöver — anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract
  • German: Tarnmanöver — anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract
  • German: Vernebelung — anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract
  • German: Deckmantel — anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract
  • Hungarian: ködösítés — anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract
  • Hungarian: félrevezetés — anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract
  • Hungarian: elterelés — anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract
  • Hungarian: álca — anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract
  • Japanese: 煙幕 (enmaku) — anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract
  • Korean: 연막 (yeonmak) — anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract
  • Latvian: aizsegs — anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract
  • Polish: zasłona dymna — anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract
  • Portuguese: cortina de fumaça — anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract
  • Portuguese: cortina de fumo — anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract
  • Portuguese: fachada — anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract
  • Spanish: cortina de humo — anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract
  • Swedish: rökridå — anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract
  • Swedish: dimridå — anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract
  • Turkish: sis perdesi — anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract
  • Vietnamese: hoả mù — anything used (metaphorically) to conceal or distract