a piece of opaque or transparent material worn over the face for concealment, for protection from the elements, or to enhance the appearance.
a piece of material worn so as to fall over the head and shoulders on each side of the face, forming a part of the headdress of a nun.
the life of a nun, especially a cloistered life.
something that covers, separates, screens, or conceals.
a veil of smoke; the veil of death.
a mask, disguise, or pretense.
to find fault under a veil of humor.
Botany, Anatomy, Zoology. a velum.
Mycology. a membrane that covers the immature mushroom of many fungi and breaks apart as the mushroom expands, leaving distinctive remnants on the cap, stalk, or stalk base.
Scot. and North England. a caul.
to cover or conceal with or as with a veil.
She veiled her face in black. A heavy fog veiled the shoreline.
to hide the real nature of; mask; disguise.
to veil one's intentions.
a piece of more or less transparent material, usually attached to a hat or headdress, used to conceal or protect a woman's face and head
part of a nun's headdress falling round the face onto the shoulders
something that covers, conceals, or separates; mask
a veil of reticence
the life of a nun in a religious order and the obligations entailed by it
to become a nun
Also called: velum. botany a membranous structure, esp the thin layer of cells connecting the edge of a young mushroom cap with the stipe
anatomy another word for caul
See humeral veil
(tr) to cover, conceal, or separate with or as if with a veil
(intr) to wear or put on a veil
1175–1225; (noun) Middle English veile < Anglo-French < Latin vēla, neuter plural (taken in VL as feminine singular) of vēlum covering; (v.) Middle English veilen < Anglo-French veiler, derivative of veile
A veil is a cloth covering the head and face, mostly worn by women. Wedding veils are drawn back when the groom hears, "Now you may kiss the bride." (Or else the groom gets a gauzy mouthful.) This is a technical term for part of an embryo or mushroom, but it’s usually a covering for the head and face. Priests wear veils during certain Catholic ceremonies, and a grieving widow might wear a veil at her husband's funeral. To veil also means to conceal something. You could veil your attempt to steal some cookies by turning the TV up loud as a distraction. When something — like a lie — is "thinly veiled," people can see right through it.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The veil between this world and the next is so thin that Clark can literally walk right through it, from his dingy store into the familiar yellow dimension of the film’s opening sequence.
From Salon • May 30, 2026
“It’s a veil buyers like to hide behind.”
From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026
Mehrab was arrested back in 2022, during nationwide protests that followed the death in police custody of a young woman, Mahsa Amini, who had been detained for not wearing her veil properly.
From BBC • May 17, 2026
Abby Rodriguez, left, holds her wedding veil that she is lending Sophie Janinet, right, for her upcoming wedding.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026
A gauzy veil stretched around the perimeter like curtains on a four-poster bed.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
