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Hide vs Conceal vs Screen vs Secrete vs Cache vs Bury vs Ensconce

Hideconcealscreensecretecacheburyensconce are comparable when meaning to withdraw or to withhold from sight or observation. Hide , the general term, and conceal are often interchangeable.

But hide may or may not suggest intent or a putting into a place out of the range of others’ sight.

Conceal, on the other hand, more often implies intention or effective hiding or a refusal to divulge.

Screen implies a hiding or concealment of someone or something in danger of being seen or known by interposing between him or it and others something (as a screen or curtain) which shelters and prevents discovery.

Secrete implies a depositing, often by stealth, in a place screened from view or unknown to others.

Cache implies an even more carefully chosen hiding place than secrete, for it usually implies protection from thieves or from the elements; sometimes the notion of secure storage more or less completely obscures that of concealment.

Bury implies a covering with or a submerging in something that hides or conceals or serves as a hiding place.

Ensconce in the relevant sense implies concealment especially in a raised or enclosed place.