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

Etymology

Origin of cloakroom

First recorded in 1850–55; cloak + room

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

It sure seemed like a lot of House Democrats from Michigan were running into the cloakroom on their phones Thursday afternoon.

From Slate ● Jan. 7, 2023

And he didn’t, the whole time he went to the cloakroom, got his things and left the main house.

From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro

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

Electronics are forbidden inside the chamber, but those digitally addicted senators can access their smartphones when they pop into the cloakrooms in the back corner of each side.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 23, 2020

A dozen senators, from both parties, made exoduses to their respective cloakrooms.

From Slate ● Jan. 22, 2020

Her start in the profession which she later so gracefully and forcibly adorned was the foremost topic in corners and cloakrooms at her largely attended literary receptions in Washington.

From What You Can Do With Your Will Power by Russell H. Conwell