false beard

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A fake beard worn on the face, often made of hair or fabric, for a costume, play, or disguise.

   Grammar: Countable: use 'a false beard' or 'false beards'.

   Patterns

   • wear a false beard
   • put on a false beard
   • a false beard and mustache

   The actor wore a long gray false beard for the role of the old king.

   For the school play, she made a false beard out of black wool.

   He put on a false beard and glasses so no one would recognize him.

2. 2nouncountablespecialist

   A piece of false hair attached to the chin and cheeks, used as a theatrical prop.

   Grammar: Countable; often used in the plural when talking about props: 'a box of false beards'.

   Patterns

   • theatrical false beard
   • a false beard and wig

   The costume shop keeps a range of false beards for different characters.

   The false beard was made of real hair and looked very convincing on stage.

Word forms

Common combinations

wear a false beard

He had to wear a false beard to look older.

put on a false beard

She put on a false beard as part of her disguise.

a false beard and glasses

His disguise was just a false beard and glasses.

make a false beard

We made a false beard from cotton wool for the play.

Synonyms and how they differ

fake beard

Fake beard is a more general term; false beard is the usual term for a theatrical or costume item.

costume beard

Costume beard emphasizes its use for dressing up, while false beard simply says it is not real.

Opposites

Word family

beard noun

The real hair that grows on a man's chin and cheeks.

bearded adjective

Having a beard.

Commonly confused: false beard or beard?

Practice

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