balaclava

noun

bal·​a·​cla·​va ˌba-lə-ˈklä-və  -ˈkla- 

: a knit cap for the head and neck

called also balaclava helmet

Examples of balaclava in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Last week, the former Duke of York was reportedly out walking the Queen's corgis near the Sandringham estate in Norfolk on May 6 when a masked man wearing a balaclava, or ski mask, jumped out of his parked car and started shouting at Andrew. —Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 12 May 2026

Following in the footsteps of Pussy Riot — aesthetically, not musically or politically — Sweden’s entry first caught attention fronting chart-topping outfit Fröken Snusk while concealing her identity under a pink balaclava. —Jon O'Brien, Vulture, 11 May 2026

Those were some of the chants from a few dozen protesters, some clad in pink balaclavas, some with bared breasts, floral crowns, and messages scrawled across their bodies, outside the Russian Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale on Wednesday morning. —Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 6 May 2026

Under the guard of balaclava-wearing clad police, prosecutors unveiled the 2,500-year-old Cotofenesti helmet during a news conference in the eastern Dutch city of Assen. —ABC News, 2 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Balaclava, Crimea, site of a British encampment during the Crimean War

First Known Use

1902, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for balaclava

• cassava
• cava
• fava
• flava
• guava
• jahveh
• lava