definitions

cloak

[ klohk ]
/ kloʊk /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cloak ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a loose outer garment, as a cape or coat.
something that covers or conceals; disguise; pretense: He conducts his affairs under a cloak of secrecy.

verb (used with object)

to cover with or as if with a cloak: She arrived at the opera cloaked in green velvet.
to hide; conceal: The mission was cloaked in mystery.

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RELATED WORDS

shawl, mantle, mask, camouflage, veneer, conceal, shroud, obscure, veil, blind, guise, facade, semblance, shield, show, front, face, disguise, pretext, wrap

Nearby words

clo., cloaca, cloacal membrane, cloacal plate, cloacitis, cloak, cloak fern, cloak-and-dagger, cloak-and-suiter, cloak-and-sword, cloakroom

Origin of cloak

1175–1225; Middle English cloke (< Old French) < Medieval Latin cloca, variant of clocca bell-shaped cape, bell; see clock1

Related forms

cloak·less, adjectiveun·der·cloak, nounwell-cloaked, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cloak

British Dictionary definitions for cloak

cloak

/ (kləʊk) /

noun

a wraplike outer garment fastened at the throat and falling straight from the shoulders
something that covers or conceals

verb (tr)

to cover with or as if with a cloak
to hide or disguise

Word Origin for cloak

C13: from Old French cloque, from Medieval Latin clocca cloak, bell; referring to the bell-like shape
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012