cloak

American  

[klohk] / kloʊk /

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 British  

/ 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 Word Forms

• cloakless adjective
• undercloak noun
• well-cloaked adjective

Etymology

Origin of cloak

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

Example Sentences

The cloak of invincibility that Liverpool carried last season has been replaced by a soft - very soft - underbelly.

From BBC

One woman said: "It has been cloak and dagger throughout this whole process. We can't get a straight answer as to what has changed so drastically to allow the park to be built on?"

From BBC

That’s the beauty of film and its grainy cloak of memory: It lets you travel through time.

From The Wall Street Journal

"Alan could have come down to breakfast in a green cloak and I still wouldn't have thought he was a traitor. I was too busy laughing," Olusoga said.

From BBC

Oaks support more than 1000 species, while maples offer food to over 300, including swallowtails and mourning cloaks.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• camouflage
• conceal
• dress up
• obscure
• shroud
• veil