First recorded in 1880–85; named after Balaklava
When the temperature dips well below zero, you might want to wear a balaclava, a warm knit hat that covers your entire face, leaving holes for your eyes and nose. You can also call a balaclava a "ski mask," and the ski slope is a place you're sure to see people wearing them, since a balaclava protects your face from icy winds and frigid temperatures. Grab a balaclava the next time you're headed out into the snow, and it will protect your cheeks from frost. Balaclava is named after a village (Balaklava) on the Crimean Peninsula where soldiers fighting in the Crimean War (1853–1856) wore knitted hats that covered their faces.
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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.
Cooper acknowledged that the person he identified as YG was wearing a black balaclava that exposed only the area around his eyes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
"We see the island of Cuba being strangled," said the musician, wearing sunglasses next to bandmates Moglai Bap and DJ Provai, the latter wearing a balaclava in the colors of the Irish flag.
From Barron's ● Mar. 20, 2026
It showed a man on a bike in a balaclava, in front of shop signs written in Arabic.
From BBC ● Feb. 21, 2026
And when a false-but-deliciously-bizarre rumor spread on TikTok that the U.K. rapper EsDeeKid was actually the actor Timothée Chalamet in a balaclava, it brought the artist a new group of giddy fans.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 18, 2026
“All righ’, Harry?” he said, pulling up the balaclava so he could speak.
From "Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets" by J. K. Rowling
Vital supplies went down with ships sunk by winter storms or sat idle in the harbor at Balaclava while men died on the heights above.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
Her solicitor is found to be linked to "Balaclava Man" - as is Huntley's boss, Assistant Chief Constable Derek Hilton.
From BBC ● Mar. 22, 2019
There is no sense in wasting his time and the state’s money playing Lord Cardigan leading the Light Brigade against the Russians at Balaclava.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 6, 2016
Supplies have now reached Cossack Bay, Balaclava, bringing much-needed relief to beleaguered British forces.
From Newsweek ● Mar. 2, 2015
Numerous villas were erected in the course of a few years along all the coast from Balaclava to Theodosia.
From Travels in the Steppes of the Caspian Sea, the Crimea, the Caucasus, &c. by Hell, Xavier Hommaire de
The agents wore balaclavas partially covering their faces, he says, and some carried rifles while others had handguns in their holsters.
From BBC ● Jan. 31, 2026
Durham Police's Insp David Littlefair said most people wearing balaclavas were younger.
From BBC ● Dec. 10, 2025
HASAKAH, Syria—In a wing of the notorious Al Sina prison in northeastern Syria, where some of the world’s most dangerous inmates are held, guards wearing balaclavas stood along a corridor lined with cells.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 24, 2025
A wave of stylish DIY kits offers customized sweaters, balaclavas and bags.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2025
They’re throwing smiles at me from the insides of two very thick balaclavas.
From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak
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.
