cloche

American  

[klohsh, klawsh] / kloʊʃ, klɔʃ /

noun

1. a woman's close-fitting hat with a deep, bell-shaped crown and often a narrow, turned-down brim.

2. a bell-shaped glass cover placed over a plant to protect it from frost and to force its growth.

3. a bell-shaped metal or glass cover placed over a plate to keep food warm or fresh.

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cloche British  

/ klɒʃ /

noun

1. a bell-shaped cover used to protect young plants

2. a woman's almost brimless close-fitting hat, typical of the 1920s and 1930s

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Usage

What does cloche mean? A cloche is a type of round, close-fitting hat with a bell-shaped crown that was popularly worn by women in the 1920s and 1930s. Cloches often have a narrow, turned-down brim. They are sometimes called cloche hats. Cloche is also the name of the (often silver) dome used to keep food warm that you typically see in stereotypical images of tuxedoed servers bringing food to tables at fancy restaurants. The word can also refer to other types of serving dishes, especially bell-shaped ones. Cloche can also refer to a cover used to protect plants during early growth. It is sometimes called a garden cloche. Example: Franny is trying to look like a 1920s flapper in her new red cloche, and I think she’s pulling it off.

Etymology

Origin of cloche

1905–10; < French: bell, bell-jar < Medieval Latin clocca. See cloak

Example Sentences

On view are examples of bulbous book bindings, acid-etched vases, satin capes, parchment-covered cabinets, angular decanters, diamond-decorated cloche hats, geometric malachite brooches, stark bas-reliefs, Brancusi-faced collar ads, and boxy, black-lacquer screens.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 23, 2025

Presented covered by a cloche, you’ll first indulge in the smoke as the dish is revealed before enjoying the two spoonfuls of goodness.

From Salon • Jul. 22, 2024

For her piece, Badminton Cloche, Ms Shillingford combined a cloche hat with its badminton shuttlecock inspiration.

From BBC • Nov. 6, 2023

The sheep’s milk cheesecake had come ensconced in a cloche made of spun sugar, a special touch the restaurant included as part of the birthday treat.

From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2023

The ladies wore long strings of cultured pearls that hung down to their knees, and cloche hats that hid their eyebrows.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende