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Synonyms

cloak

American  
[klohk] / kloʊk /

noun

  1. a loose outer garment, as a cape or coat.

  2. something that covers or conceals; disguise; pretense.

    He conducts his affairs under a cloak of secrecy.
    Synonyms:
    veil, mask, cover

verb (used with object)

  1. to cover with or as if with a cloak.

    She arrived at the opera cloaked in green velvet.

  2. to hide; conceal.

    The mission was cloaked in mystery.
cloak British  
/ kləʊk /

noun

  1. a wraplike outer garment fastened at the throat and falling straight from the shoulders

  2. something that covers or conceals

"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

verb

  1. to cover with or as if with a cloak

  2. to hide or disguise

"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

Other Word Forms

  • cloakless adjective
  • undercloak noun
  • well-cloaked adjective

Etymology

Origin of cloak

1175–1225; Middle English cloke (< Old French ) < Medieval Latin cloca, variant of clocca bell-shaped cape, bell; clock 1

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.

"The night the cloak came off," blazed a headline in the Indian Express newspaper.

From Barron's • Feb. 23, 2026

The off-white cloak caked in clay is deliberately drained of all color.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 18, 2026

By the time it reached final inspection it had acquired a cloak of ruby-red metallic paint, diamond-white LED headlamps and a mouthful of metal grillework as bright as a tea service.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 2026

Riona said: "She wanted land to build a church and she had a cloak and it grew all over the land but the king didn't want her to have the land."

From BBC • Jan. 31, 2026

Miss Priest wrapped Jeremy in her cloak and guided him back into the shop.

From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville

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.