cloak

[ klohk ]

noun

1. a loose outer garment, as a cape or coat.
2. something that covers or conceals; disguise; pretense:

   He conducts his affairs under a cloak of secrecy.

   Synonyms: veil, mask, cover

verb (used with object)

1. to cover with or as if with a cloak:

   She arrived at the opera cloaked in green velvet.

2. to hide; conceal:

   The mission was cloaked in mystery.

cloak

/ kləʊk /

noun

1. a wraplike outer garment fastened at the throat and falling straight from the shoulders
2. something that covers or conceals

verb

1. to cover with or as if with a cloak
2. to hide or disguise

Other Words From

• cloakless adjective
• under·cloak noun
• well-cloaked adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of cloak¹

1175–1225; Middle English cloke (< Old French ) < Medieval Latin cloca, variant of clocca bell-shaped cape, bell; clock ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of cloak¹

C13: from Old French cloque, from Medieval Latin clocca cloak, bell; referring to the bell-like shape

Example Sentences

Before the election, Atwood had tweeted on X an editorial cartoon that referenced "The Handmaid's Tale" in a hopeful fashion, in which women lined up and dressed in the oppressive handmaid's cloak and hood would emerge from the voting booth in modern attire.

From Salon

The new arrivals are all from the Shia community and follow strict religious rules, with the women wearing the chador, a full-body cloak that covers everything but their faces.

From BBC

He’s a former actor and at one point put on a bunch of accents, and pretended to wear a cloak, trying to convince me he could do an anonymous interview.

From BBC

“As a young adult, you didn’t like the group because they wore the cloak of secrecy, and they didn’t tell us what they were doing.”

From Los Angeles Times

Little-Pengelly said Sinn Féin need to "get their house in order" and that "no organisation should operate with a cloak of secrecy".

From BBC

Related Words

• camouflage
• mantle
• mask
• shawl
• veneer