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• hood
  hood

  noun

  a soft or flexible covering for the head and neck, either separate or attached to a cloak, coat, or the like.
• 'hood
  'hood

  noun

  a neighborhood, especially an urban neighborhood inhabited predominantly by African Americans of low socioeconomic status.
• Hood
  Hood

  noun

  John Bell, 1831–79, Confederate general in the U.S. Civil War.
• -hood
  -hood

  a native English suffix denoting state, condition, character, nature, etc., or a body of persons of a particular character or class, formerly used in the formation of nouns: childhood; likelihood; knighthood; priesthood .

hood

¹ American  

[hood] / hʊd /

noun

1. a soft or flexible covering for the head and neck, either separate or attached to a cloak, coat, or the like.

2. something resembling or suggesting such a covering, especially in shape, as certain petals or sepals.

3. the hinged, movable part of an automobile body covering the engine.

4. British. the roof of a carriage.

5. a metal cover or canopy for a stove, ventilator, etc.

6. Falconry. a cover for the entire head of a hawk, used when the bird is not in pursuit of game.

7. an ornamental ruffle or fold on the back of the shoulders of an academic gown, jurist's robe, etc.

8. a crest or band of color on the head of certain birds and animals.

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verb (used with object)

• hoods,
  present (3rd person singular)
• hooded,
  past participle,  past
• hooding
  present participle

1. to furnish with a hood.

2. to cover with or as if with a hood.

hood ² American  

[hood, hood] / hʊd, hud /

noun

Slang.

1. a hoodlum.

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'hood ³ American  

[hood] / hʊd /

Or hood

noun

Slang.

1. a neighborhood, especially an urban neighborhood inhabited predominantly by African Americans of low socioeconomic status.

   It’s hard for these kids to break the cycle of poverty and get out of the 'hood.

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Hood ⁴ American  

[hood] / hʊd /

noun

1. John Bell, 1831–79, Confederate general in the U.S. Civil War.

2. Raymond Mathewson 1881–1934, U.S. architect.

3. Robin. Robin Hood.

4. Thomas, 1799–1845, English poet and humorist.

5. Mount, a volcanic peak in N Oregon, in the Cascade Range. 11,253 feet (3,430 meters).

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-hood ⁵ American  

1. a native English suffix denoting state, condition, character, nature, etc., or a body of persons of a particular character or class, formerly used in the formation of nouns: childhood; likelihood; knighthood; priesthood .

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hood ¹ British  

/ hʊd /

noun

1. a loose head covering either attached to a cloak or coat or made as a separate garment

2. something resembling this in shape or use

3. the US and Canadian name for bonnet

4. the folding roof of a convertible car

5. a hoodlike garment worn over an academic gown, indicating its wearer's degree and university

6. falconry a close-fitting cover, placed over the head and eyes of a falcon to keep it quiet when not hunting

7. 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

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verb

1. (tr) to cover or provide with or as if with a hood

Hood ² British  

/ hʊd /

noun

1. See Robin Hood

2. Samuel, 1st Viscount. 1724–1816, British admiral. He fought successfully against the French during the American Revolution and the French Revolutionary Wars

3. 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)

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-hood ³ British  

suffix

1. indicating state or condition of being

   manhood

   adulthood

2. indicating a body of persons

   knighthood

   priesthood

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'hood ⁴ British  

/ hʊd /

noun

1. slang short for neighbourhood

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hood ⁵ British  

/ hʊd /

noun

1. slang short for hoodlum

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Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• hoodless
  adjective
• hoodlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• hooding
  present
• hooded
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• hood
  simple
• hoods
  simple
• have hooded
  perfect
• has hooded
  perfect
• am hooding
  progressive
• are hooding
  progressive
• is hooding
  progressive
• have been hooding
  perfect progressive
• has been hooding
  perfect progressive

Past

• hooded
  simple
• had hooded
  perfect
• was hooding
  progressive
• were hooding
  progressive
• had been hooding
  perfect progressive

Future

• will hood
  simple
• will have hooded
  perfect
• will be hooding
  progressive
• will have been hooding
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of hood¹

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

Origin of hood²

First recorded in 1925–30; by shortening

Origin of 'hood³

First recorded in 1965–70; African American Vernacular English; by shortening

Origin of -hood⁵

Middle English -hode, -hod, Old English -hād (cognate with German -heit ), special use of hād condition, state, order, quality, rank

Explanation

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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hood 'hood Hood -hood hoods hooded hooding

“It’ll be slick as a car hood from the slime on their bellies,” Walters says.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

"Ultimately, these studies give us a glimpse under the hood of how these cells make decisions," she said.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026

Goldthorpe attended LIV's most recent event in Bedminster, New York, and O'Neil said he was spending time "looking under the hood" of the league.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

Photos released by the sheriff’s department show a dark, late-model sedan with a crushed hood and a damaged front bumper.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

Clare drew his hood farther down, whispering to Gingersnipes, “How is it possible they can see you? The cottonmouths couldn’t, only hours ago!”

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

As an actor, writer and director, he became a powerful figure in the British film industry for making movies including the 'hood series - Kidulthood, Adulthood and Brotherhood.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2025

Through fantastical moments of magical realism nestled into perfect encapsulations of ’hood life, viewers got a story of two fools trying to figure out their place in the world.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 23, 2024

“I’m not even in the ghetto. I’m not in the ‘hood.

From Washington Times ● Dec. 27, 2023

"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

No big deal, just another day in the ’hood.

From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers

“We still had quite a bit of beach out there then, so it didn’t reach the boardwalk,” said Hood, 70.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

He received honorable mention in the Edwin Hood Prize for diplomatic reporting from the National Press Club in 1998.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

Almost 100 municipalities in the U.S. have ended their Flock contracts in response to public outcry, including several in Texas, such as Bandera and Hood County.

From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026

The Death of Robin Hood is based on a 17th Century ballad of the outlaw, starring Hugh Jackman as the reflective, battle-weary titular character at the end of his life.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

The actor playing Little Red Riding Hood pushed back his hood.

From "The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling" by Maryrose Wood

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 R. G. (Robert Gordon) Latham

The thin aluminum sheets produced at the plant are later stamped into fenders, hoods and other exterior vehicle parts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026

Companies that buy aluminum to make everything from soda cans to car hoods have been feeling the pain of more expensive aluminum.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 2, 2026

She looked through the pinhole and saw two men wearing hoods.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 24, 2026

Mr Clothier explains: "The methanogenic bacteria are gobbling up all the solids and generating loads of lovely methane, which we then catch in the hoods over the top."

From BBC ● Dec. 17, 2025

There were several academic robes and hoods, some with fur around them, most faced with silk.

From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman

At the time of the attack, Abdul B is believed to have been wearing a black hooded top and white trousers.

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026

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

On a chilly spring night, Caligiuri, wearing a hooded Adidas jacket and black sweatpants, stands in the center of a small soccer field on a bluff in Mission Viejo.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 2026

A car drives by with its headlamps hooded, swerving wildly, and I have to spring aside to avoid being hit.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

“I never thought I would get plastic surgery,” said Caruso, who opted in after noticing that her eyeliner no longer showed up on her eyes due to hooding.

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

Gollum blinked, hooding the malice of his eyes with their heavy pale lids.

From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien

Related Words

• gangster
• goon
• hooligan
• punk
• tough
• tough guy