veil
noun
a piece of opaque or transparent material worn over the face for concealment, for protection from the elements, or to enhance the appearance.
veil
American
[vayl]
/ veɪl /
noun
-
veils
plural
-
a piece of opaque or transparent material worn over the face for concealment, for protection from the elements, or to enhance the appearance.
-
a piece of material worn so as to fall over the head and shoulders on each side of the face, forming a part of the headdress of a nun.
-
the life of a nun, especially a cloistered life.
-
something that covers, separates, screens, or conceals.
a veil of smoke; the veil of death.
-
a mask, disguise, or pretense.
to find fault under a veil of humor.
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Botany, Anatomy, Zoology. a velum.
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Mycology. a membrane that covers the immature mushroom of many fungi and breaks apart as the mushroom expands, leaving distinctive remnants on the cap, stalk, or stalk base.
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Scot. and North England. a caul.
verb (used with object)
-
veils,
present (3rd person singular)
-
veiled,
past participle, past
-
veiling
present participle
-
to cover or conceal with or as with a veil.
She veiled her face in black. A heavy fog veiled the shoreline.
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to hide the real nature of; mask; disguise.
to veil one's intentions.
verb (used without object)
-
veils,
present (3rd person singular)
-
veiled,
past participle, past
-
veiling
present participle
idioms
veil
1
British
/ veɪl /
noun
-
a piece of more or less transparent material, usually attached to a hat or headdress, used to conceal or protect a woman's face and head
-
part of a nun's headdress falling round the face onto the shoulders
-
something that covers, conceals, or separates; mask
a veil of reticence
-
the life of a nun in a religious order and the obligations entailed by it
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to become a nun
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Also called: velum. botany a membranous structure, esp the thin layer of cells connecting the edge of a young mushroom cap with the stipe
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anatomy another word for caul
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See humeral veil
verb
-
(tr) to cover, conceal, or separate with or as if with a veil
-
(intr) to wear or put on a veil
Veil
2
British
/ vaɪl /
noun
veil
Scientific
/ vāl /
veil
More Idioms
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
veilsimple
-
veilssimple
-
have veiledperfect
-
has veiledperfect
-
am veilingprogressive
-
are veilingprogressive
-
is veilingprogressive
-
have been veilingperfect progressive
-
has been veilingperfect progressive
Past
-
veiledsimple
-
had veiledperfect
-
was veilingprogressive
-
were veilingprogressive
-
had been veilingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of veil
1175–1225; (noun) Middle English veile < Anglo-French < Latin vēla, neuter plural (taken in VL as feminine singular) of vēlum covering; (v.) Middle English veilen < Anglo-French veiler, derivative of veile
Explanation
A veil is a cloth covering the head and face, mostly worn by women. Wedding veils are drawn back when the groom hears, "Now you may kiss the bride." (Or else the groom gets a gauzy mouthful.) This is a technical term for part of an embryo or mushroom, but it’s usually a covering for the head and face. Priests wear veils during certain Catholic ceremonies, and a grieving widow might wear a veil at her husband's funeral. To veil also means to conceal something. You could veil your attempt to steal some cookies by turning the TV up loud as a distraction. When something — like a lie — is "thinly veiled," people can see right through it.
Vocabulary lists containing veil
Put a Lid On It: Hats, Hoods, and Other Headgear
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This Week In Words: May 31–June 5, 2020
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Finishing Touches: Words for Accessories
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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.
See Examples For:
“Everyone says I was the most chill bride they ever met. I wasn’t stressed about anything except the missing veil. My veil was missing for a little bit,” she said.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2026
As she adjusted her veil and prepared to walk down the aisle, she filed that feeling away.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
We grandchildren always considered our Mama Chela a doña — a grand Mexican dame who never wore pants and frequently covered her hair with a veil out of modesty.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
Sadhguru's "sacred walks", organised by his Isha Foundation, promised a journey to a place "of divine connection, where the veil between the physical and spiritual is thin".
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
It was as though an invisible veil had been lifted, and beneath it a different truth flickered in his friend’s eyes.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
Within and around this region lie several popular deep-sky objects, including the Dumbbell Nebula, the Ring Nebula, the North America Nebula, and the Veil Nebula.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 3, 2026
Badinter joined other national heroes, including author Victor Hugo, French-American member of the French Resistance Josephine Baker and Simone Veil, the women's rights heavyweight and health minister who championed legalising abortion.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2025
And after 40 years in Hollywood, he is taking on his first leading role in a TV series, "The Green Veil."
From Salon ● May 9, 2024
“We have a chance to change history. Make Simone Veil proud.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 4, 2024
This unexpected news from Beyond the Veil had been worth every penny, but now Penelope had not a cent to her name with which to buy tickets to Heathcote.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
The crowd was awash in lace, ruffles, veils, elbow-length gloves and far more all-white than is typically seen after Labor Day.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
No one lies down—the chorus members don delicate face veils and hold lighted candles to show when they are sleeping.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
Draft beer, peanuts and big-screen sports... the scene is reminiscent of pubs worldwide, but in Saudi Arabia's capital, customers in white robes or black veils sip alcohol-free pints with no expectation of a hangover.
From Barron's ● Nov. 19, 2025
Perhaps the canvas’ most beautiful feature is the rich skin of black acrylic paint within which he and his steed, both rendered in soft veils of thin gouache, are embedded.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2025
Her tokar and veils she had abandoned in the pit, and her linen undertunic had never been made to withstand the hot days and cold nights of the Dothraki sea.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
The former allies, and now competitors, took veiled shots at each other as they each hit multiple campaign stops Sunday morning, with both attending church services and other events.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2026
Set between 2019 and 2021, Sorkin’s film stares down the dawn of a new decade, preparing for the birth of our current web of chaos, cruelty and thinly veiled deceit.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
He previously said the plans had been "veiled in secrecy" and that the process did not guarantee public participation "beyond a narrow list of statutory bodies".
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
The primary portrait of Adrian that emerges in “Remake” is that of a moody young man, his attitude toward his father flitting between mild tolerance and barely veiled resentment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
When he led Seabiscuit and Fair Knightess out for what was supposed to be a secret predawn workout veiled in thick fog, Smith discovered a thicket of dockers and reporters waiting for him.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
The fabled front was always understood to be window dressing veiling frustrations, squelched desires, and countless other malignancies.
From Salon ● Nov. 21, 2023
The U.N. rights committee said Iran should "amend or repeal laws and policies that criminalise the non-compliance with compulsory veiling... and disband the morality police".
From Reuters ● Nov. 3, 2023
She styled the tailored look with a headpiece featuring a crinoline base with a layer of tulle and merry widow veiling, adorned with a ribbon bow.
From Washington Times ● May 6, 2023
She styled the tailored look with a headpiece featuring a crinoline base with a layer of tulle and merry widow veiling, adorned with a Petersham ribbon bow.
From Seattle Times ● May 6, 2023
The wind was turning his canoe around, veiling his words.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
