smoke screen
noun
1
: a screen of smoke to hinder enemy observation of a military force, area, or activity
2
: something designed to obscure, confuse, or mislead
Examples of smoke screen in a Sentence
His campaign promises were just a smoke screen.
The truth was hidden behind a smoke screen of lies.
Recent Examples on the Web
The concern is that this might be a kind of smoke screen.
—
Lance Eliot, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024
Any dignified motivations that had once held sway—making art for art’s sake, acting to minimize suffering—became smoke screens to distract others from my selfishness.
—Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2024
Moscow’s troops have also deployed old-age techniques like smoke screens, anti-drone cages, and more to keep their tanks safe.
—Abhishek Bhardwaj, Interesting Engineering, 25 June 2024
The celebrated institutions of democracy and transparency appeared to them as nothing more than smoke screens.
—Susanna Wing, Foreign Affairs, 11 Apr. 2012
See all Example Sentences for smoke screen 
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Lance Eliot, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024
Any dignified motivations that had once held sway—making art for art’s sake, acting to minimize suffering—became smoke screens to distract others from my selfishness.
—Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2024
Moscow’s troops have also deployed old-age techniques like smoke screens, anti-drone cages, and more to keep their tanks safe.
—Abhishek Bhardwaj, Interesting Engineering, 25 June 2024
The celebrated institutions of democracy and transparency appeared to them as nothing more than smoke screens.
—Susanna Wing, Foreign Affairs, 11 Apr. 2012
See all Example Sentences for smoke screen
Dictionary Entries Near smoke screen
Cite this Entry
“Smoke screen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smoke%20screen. Accessed 10 Feb. 2025.
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