unmask
part of speech
verb (unmask, unmasks, unmasked, unmasking)
meaning for a pupil
1) To unmask someone is to take off their mask so you can see their face. tree →
2) To unmask a person or plan is to show the truth about them, especially that they are a cheat, spy or criminal. tree →
sense in the lessons
In stories and cartoons: the villain is unmasked at the end (as in Scooby-Doo). In news: unmasking a fraud or a lie. It tells the reader the truth is finally coming out.
examples
- At the end, the kids unmasked the ghost – it was the caretaker! tree →
- The detective unmasked the thief. tree →
- The reporter unmasked the fake charity. tree →
- The superhero was never unmasked. tree →
- At midnight, everyone at the party unmasked. tree →
- The test unmasked a mistake in the plan. tree →
note
Regular verb. Opposite: «mask». Noun: «unmasking». In the «reveal the truth» sense, close to «expose».
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «unmask» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.