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.
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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.
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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.
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the life of a nun, especially a cloistered life.
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something that covers, separates, screens, or conceals.
a veil of smoke; the veil of death.
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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)
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veils,
present (3rd person singular)
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veiled,
past participle, past
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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
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part of a nun's headdress falling round the face onto the shoulders
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something that covers, conceals, or separates; mask
a veil of reticence
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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
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(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
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
The burka is a one-piece veil that covers the face and body.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
“And we get to party after!” chimed in his 32-year-old wife, wearing an off-white dress and veil.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
I made my way over to where the hill started its incline, dotted with low shrubs and a thin veil of elm trees.
From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline
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
All three children remembered how the fortune-teller had used a crystal ball to summon spirits from Beyond the Veil.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
Singh’s family this month told local media they had left their home and started wearing veils when in public to avoid being recognized.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
Marked by veils of heavily diluted color that are rubbed into the canvas weave to create a weightless, matte effect, its soft, evanescent surface was intended to read, Whistler said, “like breath on glass.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 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
The crowd’s alternative style was imbued with Latin flair: Latinos in black vaquero boots clicked their heels against the concrete, while lace veils flowed above their carefully teased hair.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2025
There were headdresses and veils, corsets with daggers concealed in the stays, elaborate capes, and teetering tall shoes carved of ebony and coral.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
It all starts to feel like a veiled skewering of Scientology, which could be interesting until they start throwing chainsaws and Christmas gimps into the mix.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 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
Tom looked at his father with veiled eyes, trying to read the effect of Olive’s letter.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
The fabled front was always understood to be window dressing veiling frustrations, squelched desires, and 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
It’s hard to keep your eyes focused on the road as you behold a gauzy mist swirling around the mountains, veiling deep gorges, wide fjords, occasional turf-roofed dwellings and waterfalls.
From New York Times ● Aug. 30, 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
The bottle careens and thuds to the carpet, ink pours down over the skyscape, veiling Mrs. Smeath in Parker’s Washable Blue.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
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