a soft or flexible covering for the head and neck, either separate or attached to a cloak, coat, or the like.
something resembling or suggesting such a covering, especially in shape, as certain petals or sepals.
the hinged, movable part of an automobile body covering the engine.
British. the roof of a carriage.
a metal cover or canopy for a stove, ventilator, etc.
Falconry. a cover for the entire head of a hawk, used when the bird is not in pursuit of game.
an ornamental ruffle or fold on the back of the shoulders of an academic gown, jurist's robe, etc.
a crest or band of color on the head of certain birds and animals.
to furnish with a hood.
to cover with or as if with a hood.
John Bell, 1831–79, Confederate general in the U.S. Civil War.
Raymond Mathewson 1881–1934, U.S. architect.
Robin. Robin Hood.
Thomas, 1799–1845, English poet and humorist.
Mount, a volcanic peak in N Oregon, in the Cascade Range. 11,253 feet (3,430 meters).
a loose head covering either attached to a cloak or coat or made as a separate garment
something resembling this in shape or use
the US and Canadian name for bonnet
the folding roof of a convertible car
a hoodlike garment worn over an academic gown, indicating its wearer's degree and university
falconry a close-fitting cover, placed over the head and eyes of a falcon to keep it quiet when not hunting
biology a structure or marking, such as the fold of skin on the head of a cobra, that covers or appears to cover the head or some similar part
See Robin Hood
Samuel, 1st Viscount. 1724–1816, British admiral. He fought successfully against the French during the American Revolution and the French Revolutionary Wars
Thomas. 1799–1845, British poet and humorist: his work includes protest poetry, such as The Song of the Shirt (1843) and The Bridge of Sighs (1844)
indicating state or condition of being
manhood
adulthood
indicating a body of persons
knighthood
priesthood
What does -hood mean? The suffix -hood is used to indicate “a state of being” or "a group of a particular characteristic or class." It is often used in a variety of technical and everyday terms. The form -hood comes from Old English hād, meaning “condition” or “rank.” Similar suffixes in Latin include -itās and -tūdō, both of which indicate a state of being and are the sources of the English suffixes -ity and -tude. Check out our entries for both suffixes to learn how frequently they appear.
First recorded before 900, in 1925–30 hood 1 for def. 3 (an Americanism); Middle English hode, Old English hōd; cognate with Old Frisian hōde, Dutch hoed, German Hut hat
First recorded in 1925–30; by shortening
First recorded in 1965–70; African American Vernacular English; by shortening
Middle English -hode, -hod, Old English -hād (cognate with German -heit ), special use of hād condition, state, order, quality, rank
A hood is a protective covering. It could be a car hood protecting the engine or your car or it could be the hood on your coat protecting your noggin. Your favorite sweatshirt might have a hood, as well as your fur-lined winter coat and your insulated hood for scuba diving. Other things with a similar protective quality are also called hoods, like the metal vent cover over your stove, the cover on your car's engine, and the cap-like plant sections that cover vulnerable parts. One of the most famous hoods in literature is the red one worn by the main character in "Little Red Riding Hood."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Echoing that signature yellow hue: a walnut island, a hammered barrel-vaulted copper hood, a copper farmhouse sink and replicated 1920s cabinetry painted “Matchstick” by Farrow & Ball.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
"It's one thing to look at chemistry and a set of materials at the single cell level in a fume hood," said Bailey.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
The hood is bent, the radiator is cracked, and the front bumper is destroyed.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
Under the hood in each Apple device are powerful, Apple-designed chips capable of much more than just powering the new Siri.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
Benji stood up straighter and dramatically put up his hood.
From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty
"But we make black music first and foremost, and all our records is 'hood first'."
From BBC ● Feb. 6, 2025
“I’m not even in the ghetto. I’m not in the ‘hood.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 27, 2023
But it’s in his youngest son that he has found his greatest achievement, this icon of the ’hood making his biggest moves at home.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2023
"They Cloned Tyrone," directed and co-written by Juel Taylor, is a futuristic 'hood mystery based around a white and white-adjacent corporate agenda to control the Black community through fried chicken, drugs and perms.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2023
We talked about what was going on in school, and what was going on around the ’hood.
From "145th Street: Short Stories" by Walter Dean Myers
Hood said the price may set a new standard for AAA or big-budget games.
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026
Freelance video games journalist Vic Hood said the price tag for the standard edition was "fairly reasonable" but said the lack of disc may "irk some physical collectors".
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026
Sarnoski, who’s known for his work on “Pig” and “A Quiet Place: Day One,” wanted to look at what Robin Hood might have been like during this medieval period.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
Turning Robin Hood into a conflicted antihero suggests society has been infiltrated by cynicism about anyone being able to save us.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
Longstreet reached down, touched Hood on the shoulder, then turned and went out into the moonlight.
From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara
When joined together, the h- of the -hood is put in immediate apposition with the s of the monks-.
From A Handbook of the English Language by Latham, R. G. (Robert Gordon)
She looked through the pinhole and saw two men wearing hoods.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 24, 2026
Chief Executive Mary Barra’s first job as a co-op student was inspecting Pontiac hoods and fenders.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 24, 2026
A Public Space Protection Order has been imposed at Chelmsley Wood to stop gatherings of young people and to require the removal of masks and hoods.
From BBC ● Dec. 10, 2025
"We know that even though people may have been wearing hoods or masks, we still have the ability to identify them and bring them before the courts, and we will pursue that relentlessly," he said.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2025
They turned their faces away from the wind, holding on to the hoods of their parkas.
From "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy
We open in a post-apocalyptic Pasadena, following a hooded character through a dark landscape of burned out cars and mutant distractions to Stuart’s somehow still-open comic book store.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
His press conferences are almost theatrically placid, Brunson often slouched in a hat and/or hooded sweatshirt and deflecting any effort to valorize his success.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
It opened with a lone hooded figure running onto the stage holding a red flare as fans chanted "BTS, BTS, BTS".
From BBC ● Apr. 9, 2026
Patel has shown up to events in hooded sweatshirts and sneakers and sometimes wears a badge despite not being a special agent.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 2, 2026
The attending nurse lifts the hooded veil and helps me up.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
Their accounts echo those of the Negra Francisca crew: cuffing and hooding by armed English-speakers before being turned over to a Salvadoran patrol craft, which took them to El Salvador.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 15, 2026
“I never thought I would get plastic surgery,” said Caruso, who opted in after noticing that her eyeliner no longer showed up on her eyes due to hooding.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 1, 2026
She attended a Baptist pastor’s hooding ceremony, a public event for a Japanese sister city, and a luau held by a local nonprofit’s C.E.O.
From The New Yorker ● Aug. 12, 2019
I decided to order the cessation of all hooding as it had become particularly emotive in light of the death of Baha Mousa.
From BBC ● May 18, 2010
Jon went from one mews to another, hooding each occupant and carrying it to his tour van.
From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
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.
