1. pretending to be someone or something else in order to deceive
Usage: present participle of masquerade
2. attending a masquerade ball or costume party
Usage: present participle of masquerade; formal or literary

Examples

• The spy was masquerading as a diplomat.
• She discovered he had been masquerading as a doctor for years.
• The virus was masquerading as legitimate software.
• They were masquerading at the elaborate costume ball.
• The criminal was masquerading as a police officer.
• He’s masquerading as an expert, but he knows very little.
• The guests were masquerading in elaborate Victorian costumes.