cloakroom

American  

[klohk-room, -room] / ˈkloʊkˌrum, -ˌrʊm /

noun

cloakrooms plural

1. a room in which outer garments, hats, umbrellas, etc., may be left temporarily, as in a club, restaurant, etc.; checkroom.

2. a room adjacent to a legislative chamber or legislative room, where legislators may leave their coats, relax, or engage in informal conversation.

3. British.

   1. a bathroom; a public restroom.

   2. a baggage room, as at a railway station, where packages and luggage may be left temporarily or checked through to one's destination.

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cloakroom British  

/ -ˌrʊm, ˈkləʊkˌruːm /

noun

1. a room in which hats, coats, luggage, etc, may be temporarily deposited

2. a euphemistic word for lavatory

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• cloakrooms
  plural

Etymology

Origin of cloakroom

First recorded in 1850–55; cloak + room

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cloakroom cloakrooms

The leader should function as a player-manager who can be trusted to deliver on the Senate floor and in the cloakroom.

From Salon ● Nov. 11, 2025

Also worth noting: Rose added a toilet and a small cloakroom basin by Thomas Crapper & Co. to add a bit of whimsy to the washroom.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2025

Mr Mills has submitted a planning application to Sheffield City Council to demolish a toilet block and another area of the building which houses a cloakroom and fire exits.

From BBC ● Dec. 18, 2024

The urinals — see the particularly majestic Deco “Radio” Adamsez iteration in the gentleman’s cloakroom of the old Derry and Toms building, Kensington — elevate the form to art even before Duchamp.

From New York Times ● Nov. 23, 2024

Very kindly, the girl in the cloakroom called a taxi, and one of the younger members of the door staff carried my bag all the way out to the pavement.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

Tape it above the door in the House cloakrooms.

From Slate ● Mar. 19, 2024

The Capitol’s cloakrooms, hideaways, offices, press galleries and trains are cramped, even if some people are working from home.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 3, 2020

Some senators left their seats and headed to cloakrooms, stood in the back or openly yawned as he spoke.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 22, 2020

A dozen senators, from both parties, made exoduses to their respective cloakrooms.

From Slate ● Jan. 22, 2020

The halls were occupied by attentive officers, who received the visitors and ushered them into cloakrooms.

From Ishmael Or, In the Depths by Southworth, Emma Dorothy Eliza Nevitte