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.
Botany, Anatomy, Zoology. a velum.
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.
Scot. and North England. a caul.
to cover or conceal with or as with a veil.
She veiled her face in black. A heavy fog veiled the shoreline.
to hide the real nature of; mask; disguise.
to veil one's intentions.
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
to become a nun
Also called: velum. botany a membranous structure, esp the thin layer of cells connecting the edge of a young mushroom cap with the stipe
anatomy another word for caul
See humeral veil
(tr) to cover, conceal, or separate with or as if with a veil
(intr) to wear or put on a 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
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.
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Molly, 32, wore a white short-sleeved mini dress with a matching pillbox hat and netted veil for the occassion, while Tom, 26, wore a black suit and tie.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
He went toward the altar through a veil of thick smoke and first reached for the antimins, a rectangular piece of cloth that is necessary to celebrate the Liturgy, or Eucharist.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
“We live under a veil of fear that we didn’t live under before 9/11,” Spielberg told USA Today while promoting the film.
From Salon ● Jun. 13, 2026
Her face was concealed by a veil, a wide-brim hat and a white parasol that she said was inspired by an image of a jellyfish that excited her 2-year-old daughter.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026
She’d anchored her hat with a pea-green veil that matched her face.
From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck
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
But my music taste was so wide — I grew up listening to reggaeton and Broadway and Christian 2000s pop and Pierce the Veil and Ariana Grande.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 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
It is in the scene where the ghost of Hamlet’s father returns from Beyond the Veil to discuss his own murder with his son.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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
Under its 40-year-old de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom has loosened its arch-conservatism, allowing women to drive and shed their veils.
From Barron's ● Nov. 10, 2025
The Ministry of Justice has begun separating entry for men and women, plus there have been reports of men distributing flyers on buses and in Umayyad Mosque in Damascus asking women to wear full-faced veils.
From BBC ● Apr. 17, 2025
The dance is hazy in my mind, a blur of translucent black veils and long silvery scarves.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2024
When Dicey awoke the next morning, she saw filmy shadows, as if the inside of the trailer was swathed in veils.
From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt
"Presentations should not turn into self-representations," he wrote, in a thinly veiled swipe at Federov's long, detailed news conference last week.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
Last week, she joined a vigil at a Buddhist temple where residents prayed for peace -- a veiled plea for their homes to be spared.
From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026
The galaxy is heavily veiled by dust, making it difficult to see in visible light.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 19, 2026
Contra all the stifled yawns and thinly veiled condescension, the contest — now in its final stretch — is the most compelling California gubernatorial campaign in decades.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 10, 2026
A veiled woman wearing a crown walks alongside the palanquin with her hand resting on the glass.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
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
A century or more ago, strict veiling was largely limited to Iran’s upper classes.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 27, 2022
Emily maintains a steady exterior calm veiling her interior panic.
From New York Times ● Aug. 18, 2022
Dark clouds raced across the sky, veiling the moon and altering the shadows.
From "The Old Willis Place" by Mary Downing Hahn
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.
