cloak-and-dagger
Americanadjective
noun
Etymology
Origin of cloak-and-dagger
First recorded in 1835–45
Vocabulary lists containing cloak-and-dagger
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In a cloak-and-dagger operation he sneaked out of Brazil via Argentina and Ecuador, after being ordered to surrender his passports due to several ongoing investigations against him.
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026
By evening’s end, a frazzled Ventura senior citizen — during a cloak-and-dagger assignation — had uttered a secret code to a person who claimed to be law enforcement, then handed him $25,000.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2026
The cloak-and-dagger operation might seem excessive, but there are a few billion reasons for the paranoia.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 18, 2025
It’s a pale substitute for the delicious tension inherent to deadly cloak-and-dagger exploits.
From Salon ● Apr. 22, 2025
Manning was confused by the cloak-and-dagger directions, but couldn’t pass up a chance to get Ellsberg on Cronkite’s show.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
