cloak
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
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to cover with or as if with a cloak.
She arrived at the opera cloaked in green velvet.
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to hide; conceal.
The mission was cloaked in mystery.
noun
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a wraplike outer garment fastened at the throat and falling straight from the shoulders
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something that covers or conceals
verb
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to cover with or as if with a cloak
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to hide or disguise
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of cloak
1175–1225; Middle English cloke (< Old French ) < Medieval Latin cloca, variant of clocca bell-shaped cape, bell; see clock 1
Explanation
A cloak is anything that conceals or hides something, like an over-sized, dark raincoat you wear when you don't want your friends to see you're going to the movies without them. As a noun, a cloak is usually a loose piece of clothing that you wear over your other clothes, like a cape or a gown. It especially refers to an outer garment that you might wear while traveling in order to protect your outfit or to conceal your identity. As a verb, to cloak is to conceal or hide something. If you were a famous person who wanted to go out alone, you might cloak your identity with a cloak.
Vocabulary lists containing cloak
The Balcony Scene from "Romeo and Juliet"
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"Encounter"
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Unit 2: Pivotal Words and Phrases
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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.
When Harry sneaks into the Hogwarts library at night concealed by the Cloak of Invisibility, he opens a forbidden book that begins to scream.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 19, 2025
In the billboard above the Vue Cinema in Leicester Square, Linda, a Traitor, is pictured winning a "Golden Cloak Award" for the "performance of a lifetime" in a nod to the recent Golden Globe Awards.
From BBC • Jan. 11, 2025
"Under the Cloak of War" introduces a different situation, where a nightmare intrudes upon the medical team's peace and places them under psychological duress.
From Salon • Jul. 27, 2023
Bobby Krlic, who usually records as the Haxan Cloak, has composed the score for a new Amazon series, “Paper Girls,” and “KJ’s Discovery” is from its soundtrack album.
From New York Times • Jul. 29, 2022
He raised his wand, not even troubling to keep it concealed beneath the Invisibility Cloak, and said, “Stupefy!”
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
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.
