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

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Etymology

Origin of cloakroom

First recorded in 1850–55; cloak + room

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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

When she walked into the cloakroom that day, she overheard “members comparing stories of how I got their votes. Some with humor”—as was the case with Donnelly’s—and “some not.”

From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2024

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

Tape it above the door in the House cloakrooms.

From Slate ● Mar. 19, 2024

Members of Congress are also prohibited from carrying firearms in certain rooms of the complex, including lobbies near the chambers, cloakrooms, the Marble Room of the Senate, and the Rayburn Room of the House.

From New York Times ● Apr. 27, 2022

“There’s coffee, but it’s miserable coffee” in the cloakrooms, according to Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 22, 2020

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

From Slate ● Jan. 22, 2020

Members came in from the cloakrooms and the Chair forgot his mail—a man was speaking.

From Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great - Volume 13 Little Journeys to the Homes of Great Lovers by Elbert Hubbard

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