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  

/ ˈkləʊkˌruːm, -ˌrʊm /

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

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Etymology

Origin of cloakroom

First recorded in 1850–55; cloak + room

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cloakroom cloakrooms

Entry is through a metal detector, and bags must be put in the cloakroom or in lockers, and there are more security guards.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

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

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

A borrowed cloak from the teacher’s cloakroom was quickly found for Penelope’s use.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

Tape it above the door in the House cloakrooms.

From Slate ● Mar. 19, 2024

The Hill also picked out a defined audience—political addicts who want to know what’s happening in the Senate cloakrooms at all times—and catered to its needs.

From Slate ● Feb. 1, 2024

“We now have individuals that have breached the Capitol building,” he said, warning them to be prepared to relocate to the cloakrooms.

From New York Times ● Jan. 6, 2021

New cubbies — just like in school — were installed outside the chamber and in the cloakrooms to store Apple cellphones — or a real apple, if you’re Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 24, 2020

Astonishing the things people leave behind them in trains and cloakrooms.

From Ulysses by James Joyce

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