a soft or flexible covering for the head and neck, either separate or attached to a cloak, coat, or the like.
something resembling or suggesting such a covering, especially in shape, as certain petals or sepals.
the hinged, movable part of an automobile body covering the engine.
British. the roof of a carriage.
a metal cover or canopy for a stove, ventilator, etc.
Falconry. a cover for the entire head of a hawk, used when the bird is not in pursuit of game.
an ornamental ruffle or fold on the back of the shoulders of an academic gown, jurist's robe, etc.
a crest or band of color on the head of certain birds and animals.
to furnish with a hood.
to cover with or as if with a hood.
John Bell, 1831–79, Confederate general in the U.S. Civil War.
Raymond Mathewson 1881–1934, U.S. architect.
Robin. Robin Hood.
Thomas, 1799–1845, English poet and humorist.
Mount, a volcanic peak in N Oregon, in the Cascade Range. 11,253 feet (3,430 meters).
a loose head covering either attached to a cloak or coat or made as a separate garment
something resembling this in shape or use
the US and Canadian name for bonnet
the folding roof of a convertible car
a hoodlike garment worn over an academic gown, indicating its wearer's degree and university
falconry a close-fitting cover, placed over the head and eyes of a falcon to keep it quiet when not hunting
biology a structure or marking, such as the fold of skin on the head of a cobra, that covers or appears to cover the head or some similar part
See Robin Hood
Samuel, 1st Viscount. 1724–1816, British admiral. He fought successfully against the French during the American Revolution and the French Revolutionary Wars
Thomas. 1799–1845, British poet and humorist: his work includes protest poetry, such as The Song of the Shirt (1843) and The Bridge of Sighs (1844)
indicating state or condition of being
manhood
adulthood
indicating a body of persons
knighthood
priesthood
What does -hood mean? The suffix -hood is used to indicate “a state of being” or "a group of a particular characteristic or class." It is often used in a variety of technical and everyday terms. The form -hood comes from Old English hād, meaning “condition” or “rank.” Similar suffixes in Latin include -itās and -tūdō, both of which indicate a state of being and are the sources of the English suffixes -ity and -tude. Check out our entries for both suffixes to learn how frequently they appear.
First recorded before 900, in 1925–30 hood 1 for def. 3 (an Americanism); Middle English hode, Old English hōd; cognate with Old Frisian hōde, Dutch hoed, German Hut hat
First recorded in 1925–30; by shortening
First recorded in 1965–70; African American Vernacular English; by shortening
Middle English -hode, -hod, Old English -hād (cognate with German -heit ), special use of hād condition, state, order, quality, rank
A hood is a protective covering. It could be a car hood protecting the engine or your car or it could be the hood on your coat protecting your noggin. Your favorite sweatshirt might have a hood, as well as your fur-lined winter coat and your insulated hood for scuba diving. Other things with a similar protective quality are also called hoods, like the metal vent cover over your stove, the cover on your car's engine, and the cap-like plant sections that cover vulnerable parts. One of the most famous hoods in literature is the red one worn by the main character in "Little Red Riding Hood."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Even if the visible damage is limited to the hood, radiator and front bumper, there may be damage to other parts, including the cooling system, headlights, sensors and other important elements.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
Before we pop open that hood, there are a few things worth knowing about Bending Spoons.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
It also says never to buy a baby sleeping bag with a hood or without armholes, or one with excess material or attachments, and to make sure to buy the right size sleeping bag.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
But it’s still worth looking under the hood to make sure you understand just what you are getting.
From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026
Her hair was gray, sticking out in strings from under her hood.
From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell
Especially when it includes delightful footage of Scorsese hanging out with old friends from the ’hood and historic interviews with his parents, especially one in which his mother, Catherine, makes meatballs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2025
"But we make black music first and foremost, and all our records is 'hood first'."
From BBC ● Feb. 6, 2025
"They Cloned Tyrone," directed and co-written by Juel Taylor, is a futuristic 'hood mystery based around a white and white-adjacent corporate agenda to control the Black community through fried chicken, drugs and perms.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2023
“The paranoia that comes from being in the ‘hood, it makes you operate in a certain way.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 15, 2023
Tyrone was less notorious than Johnny around the ’hood.
From "Our America: Life and Death on the South Side of Chicago" by LeAlan Jones
Hood said the price may set a new standard for AAA or big-budget games.
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026
“The Death of Robin Hood,” released by A24, stars Hugh Jackman as Robin Hood, an outlaw who has no qualms about his crimes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
While the movie also acknowledges that there are myths forming around Robin Hood that suggest he may have a history of benevolent deeds, Sarnoski tilts the viewer toward not believing that.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
Freelance video games journalist Vic Hood said each entry in the series "continued to push technical and gameplay boundaries", with GTA Online helping to "pioneer the live service model as we know it".
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026
She must have picked it up when he’d thrown it at the Red Hood.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
When joined together, the h- of the -hood is put in immediate apposition with the s of the monks-.
From A Handbook of the English Language by Latham, R. G. (Robert Gordon)
Both kept their hoods up throughout proceedings and their faces covered by masks so large only their eyes were still visible.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
One running gag involves the hotel’s irritation at the nearby goats who trample on the hoods of parked cars.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026
"She knows what she was told was based on false hoods... She should out the newspapers on the offering of money for stories."
From BBC ● Jan. 31, 2026
They stood atop stone walls, car hoods, rooftops, on hills upon hills.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2025
Nina asked as they pulled their hoods far down over their faces.
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
But merging in along the route were sections of masked, hooded invidividuals, many dressed all in in black.
From Barron's ● Jun. 14, 2026
His press conferences are almost theatrically placid, Brunson often slouched in a hat and/or hooded sweatshirt and deflecting any effort to valorize his success.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
Walking down a makeshift runway in a top-floor studio, a model pulls on a translucent, hooded jacket embedded with LED lights.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026
His shift didn't finish until three in the morning and he's ensconced in a hooded down jacket to keep out the winter weather.
From BBC ● Mar. 22, 2026
Soon after, he’d also adopted a cloak to cover his patchy fur, a hooded garment made of crushed velvet the color of beetroot.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
The upper tends to address hooding and volume loss of the eyelid, while the lower focuses on puffiness and dark circles or hollowing under the eye, says Dr. Flora Levin, a Connecticut-based oculoplastic surgeon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 1, 2026
Zhang, an award-winning author of “How Much of These Hills Is Gold” and “Land of Milk and Honey,” was scheduled to speak at the May 8 education school doctoral hooding ceremony.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 28, 2024
She attended a Baptist pastor’s hooding ceremony, a public event for a Japanese sister city, and a luau held by a local nonprofit’s C.E.O.
From The New Yorker ● Aug. 12, 2019
The army general who ran UK military operations during the Iraq war has said he did not know about a 1972 ruling banning the hooding of detainees.
From BBC ● May 18, 2010
Jon went from one mews to another, hooding each occupant and carrying it to his tour van.
From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
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.
