veneer

1 of 2

noun

ve·​neer və-ˈnir How to pronounce veneer (audio)
1
: a thin sheet of a material: such as
a
: a layer of wood of superior value or excellent grain to be glued to an inferior wood
b
: any of the thin layers bonded together to form plywood
c
: a plastic or porcelain coating bonded to the surface of a cosmetically imperfect tooth
2
: a protective or ornamental facing (as of brick or stone)
3
: a superficial or deceptively attractive appearance, display, or effect : facade, gloss
a veneer of tolerance

veneer

2 of 2

verb

veneered; veneering; veneers

transitive verb

1
: to overlay or plate (a surface, as of a common sort of wood) with a thin layer of finer wood for outer finish or decoration
broadly : to face with a material giving a superior surface
2
: to cover over with a veneer
especially : to conceal (something, such as a defect of character) under a superficial and deceptive attractiveness
veneerer noun

Examples of veneer in a Sentence

Noun a wall with a stone veneer a dresser with mahogany veneer Verb The cabinet was veneered in oak.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Loneliness and pain keep peeking through the friendly veneer—but hope remains. The New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2024 The world’s most dramatic saltwater ‘sea pools’ Embedding herself onboard battleships, aircraft carriers and submarines, among others, Lê’s work showcases the vast network of power structures seemingly needed to maintain the veneer of control in peacetime. Dan Q. Dao, CNN, 29 Feb. 2024 To test this, Rolls-Royce subjected 18 different samples of wood veneer to a 1,000-hour simulation of global weather extremes. Alistair Charlton, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Electoral victory has enabled the second element of Hindutva—the provision of an explicitly Hindu veneer to the character of the Indian state. Ramachandra Guha, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024 The result was a veneer of democracy that had all the trappings of participatory politics — elections, a functioning Parliament, political parties — but none of the heft. Christina Goldbaum, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2024 As for the place, its veneer of comfortable tourism doesn’t hide the air of something unwholesome, especially when female guests start randomly throwing up. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Feb. 2024 But even the veneer of legitimacy sought by Russian authorities could be tainted with the elimination of Nadezhdin, 60, an antiwar physicist and politician, widely regarded as posing no realistic threat to Putin. Natalia Abbakumova, Washington Post, 5 Feb. 2024 Adam and Eve’s cautionary tale of humanity’s fall from grace in the Garden of Eden could provide a patron the public veneer of biblical piety. Christopher Knight, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Jan. 2024
Verb
Your table is almost certainly veneered, meaning that the top has a thin layer of beautiful wood glued to a base material, which could be plywood or particleboard. Jeanne Huber, Washington Post, 6 Oct. 2023 And if Psyche does have a rocky mantle, ferrovolcanic seeps could have veneered it with metal from the asteroid’s core. Michael Greshko, National Geographic, 18 Sep. 2019 Some sported muscle sheaths that swell when exposed to ethanol vapor; others were veneered with a material that shrinks when soaked in a glucose solution. Sid Perkins, Scientific American, 11 July 2019 A stair leads to the spacious main level, with its Brazilian-walnut floors and open red-oak-veneered kitchen bracketed by the living room and dining room, both of which open onto ipe decks. Aric Chen, ELLE Decor, 31 Oct. 2008

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'veneer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

noun derivative of veneer entry 2, or borrowed directly from German (17th-century) furner, fornier (modern Furnier), noun derivative of fourniren, furniren "to apply thin strips of wood or other material (to cabinetwork, etc.)" — more at veneering

Verb

back-formation from veneering

First Known Use

Noun

1702, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1742, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of veneer was in 1702

Dictionary Entries Near veneer

Cite this Entry

“Veneer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/veneer. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

veneer

1 of 2 noun
ve·​neer və-ˈni(ə)r How to pronounce veneer (audio)
1
: a thin layer of wood bonded to other wood usually to provide a finer surface or a stronger structure
2
: a protective or ornamental facing (as of brick)

veneer

2 of 2 verb
: to cover with a veneer

Medical Definition

veneer

noun
ve·​neer və-ˈni(ə)r How to pronounce veneer (audio)
: a plastic or porcelain coating bonded to the surface of a cosmetically imperfect tooth

More from Merriam-Webster on veneer

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!