shroud

noun \ ˈshrau̇d , especially Southern ˈsrau̇d \

Definition of shroud

1 obsolete :shelter, protection

2 :something that covers, screens, or guards: such as

a :one of two flanges that give peripheral support to turbine or fan bedding

b :a guard (as of ceramic or fiberglass) that protects a spacecraft from the heat of launching

3 :burial garment :winding-sheet, cerement

4 a :one of the ropes leading usually in pairs from a ship's mastheads to give lateral support to the masts

b :one of the cords that suspend the harness of a parachute from the canopy

See shroud defined for English-language learners

See shroud defined for kids

Examples of shroud in a Sentence

the truth of the affair will always be hidden under a shroud of secrecy

Recent Examples of shroud from the Web

He is protected by a group of loyal staffers and a shroud of organizational secrecy.

— annabelle timsit, The Atlantic, "Postcard From Dresden and India's Pilgrims: The Week in Global-Affairs Writing," 18 Aug. 2017
Clark became one of the team’s most productive players on the defensive line in his second season last year after arriving in the NFL under a shroud of controversy in 2015.

— bob condotta, The Seattle Times, "Seahawk Frank Clark kicked out of practice for punching Germain Ifedi," 3 Aug. 2017
They'd literally been covered in shrouds until the big reveal.

— graeme mcmillan, The Hollywood Reporter, "Marvel Unveils New 'Avengers: Infinity War' Villains," 15 July 2017
The other photograph, which seemed to have been cropped, showed a figure wrapped in a shroud, tied up with white twine, set out on a bed in front of a framed portrait: a white bundle in vaguely human shape where my grandmother used to be.

— teju cole, New York Times, "My Grandmother’s Shroud," 11 July 2017
The ship made it to the mouth of the Columbia River through a shroud of fog, but was turned around by a strong wind while waiting for a pilot, hitting Clatsop Beach so hard that three of its four masts snapped on impact.

— OregonLive.com, "The 12 most iconic landmarks on the Oregon coast," 11 July 2017
To accomplish that, costume designer Annell Brodeur engineered a billowy white shroud not unlike a wedding dress, with a wire rim and petticoats underneath.

— patrick ryan, USA TODAY, "The full, oddly complex story behind Casey Affleck’s ‘Ghost Story’ costume," 6 July 2017
Prebys’ life partner, Debbie Turner, pushed a button Wednesday dropping the black shroud to reveal the eight-foot-tall Conrad Prebys Africa Rocks sculpture.

— diane bell, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Jer retired, now Jeff is gone as Radio Hall of Fame 'Showgram' is canceled by KyXy," 30 June 2017
And the shy and retiring particle will have preserved its shroud of mystery once again.

— adrian cho, Science | AAAS, "Weighing the universe's most elusive particle," 29 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'shroud.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Illustration of shroud

Origin and Etymology of shroud

Middle English, garment, from Old English scrūd; akin to Old English scrēade shred — more at shred

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

shroud Synonyms

Synonyms

blanket, cope, cover, covering, coverture, cover-up, curtain, hood, mantle, mask, pall, penumbra, robe, cloak, veil, wraps

Related Words

blind, concealer, screen, shield; fig leaf, Potemkin village, Trojan horse; camouflage, disguise, facade (also façade), face, mask, veneer; gloss, varnish

Other Aeronautics/Aerospace Terms

airway, apron, corridor, dirigible, fishtail, flat-hat, vector

shroud

verb

Definition of shroud

transitive verb

1 a archaic :to cover for protection

b obsolete :conceal

2 a :to cut off from view :obscure

trees shrouded by fog

this point is shrouded in uncertainty
—Henry James

b :to veil under another appearance (as by obscuring or disguising)

shrouded the decision in a series of formalities

3 :to dress for burial

intransitive verb

archaic :to seek shelter

See shroud defined for English-language learners

Examples of shroud in a Sentence

The mountains were shrouded in fog.
Their work is shrouded in secrecy.

Recent Examples of shroud from the Web

If the classic Tolkien-style fantasy world is in some obscure way informed by Europe, the area that is at once shrouded in mystery and treated with incuriosity is whatever the particular world’s equivalent to America would be.

— adrian daub, Longreads, "Here at the End of All Things," 24 Aug. 2017
The reservation, shrouded in violence, drugs and poverty, is an ominous place where American flags wave upside down.

— jake coyle, idahostatesman, "In ‘Wind River’ grief blankets a Wyoming reservation," 17 Aug. 2017
Announced back in April, the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory–themed makeup launch was shrouded in mystery.

— andrea park, Teen Vogue, "The Charlie and the Chocolate Factory-Inspired Eyeshadow Palette From Storybook Cosmetics Is Almost Here," 11 Aug. 2017
While in a pew in back of the church, Drew is at the front, trying to find a way out of the cloud of grief from his wife’s death that has shrouded his life and that of their two children.

— jean marie brown, star-telegram, "Flawed characters find joy in ‘Any Dream Will Do’," 1 Aug. 2017
Although most species of plants on Earth have flowers, the evolutionary origin of flowers themselves are shrouded in mystery.

— Scientific American, "Revealed: The First Flower, 140-million Years Old, Looked Like a Magnolia," 1 Aug. 2017
Much of the strongman's life and thinking remains shrouded in secrecy but one thing is clear: his aggressive rhetoric and regular missile tests are becoming a nightmare for the international community.

— Bloomberg.com, "Your Evening Briefing," 31 July 2017
The fenders are ¾ of an inch (19mm) wider to shroud the wide Goodyear rubber (305/30R-19 front, 325/30R-19 rear).

— jim resnick, Ars Technica, "Camaro goes nuclear: Chevrolet escalates the muscle car war," 18 July 2017
But in developing countries, the stakes are even higher: Many girls grow up in communities where menstruation is shrouded in shame and stigma, misinformation is rampant and clean menstrual supplies are scarce.

— abigail jones, MSNBC Newsweek, "The Period Movement: Meet the Men Fighting to Stop Menstruation-Shaming in the Developing World," 12 July 2017

First Known Use of shroud

14th century

shroud Synonyms

Synonyms

belie, blanket, blot out, cloak, conceal, cover, curtain, disguise, enshroud, mask, obscure, occult, paper over, screen, ¹hide, suppress, veil

Antonyms

bare, disclose, display, divulge, expose, reveal, show, uncloak, uncover, unmask, unveil

Related Words

bury, camouflage, cover (up), smother; gild, gloss (over), varnish, whitewash; becloud, bedim, befog, block, cloud, darken, eclipse, obstruct, occlude, overcast, overshadow, shade

Near Antonyms

bring out, present; clarify, illuminate; advertise, air, broadcast, get out, proclaim, publicize, publish, spread

SHROUD Defined for English Language Learners

shroud

noun

Definition of shroud for English Language Learners

: a cloth that is used to wrap a dead body
: something that covers or hides something

shroud

verb

Definition of shroud for English Language Learners

: to cover or hide (something)

SHROUD Defined for Kids

shroud

noun \ ˈshrau̇d \

Definition of shroud for Students

1 :the cloth placed over or around a dead body

2 :something that covers or hides

a shroud of secrecy

shroud

verb

Definition of shroud for Students

shrouded; shrouding

:to cover or hide with or as if with a shroud

The road was shrouded in fog.

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See words that rhyme with shroud Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for shroud Spanish Central: Translation of shroud Nglish: Translation of shroud for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of shroud for Arabic speakers

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Other Aeronautics/Aerospace Terms

shroud

Definition of shroud

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First Known Use of shroud

shroud Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

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SHROUD Defined for English Language Learners

shroud

Definition of shroud for English Language Learners

shroud

Definition of shroud for English Language Learners

SHROUD Defined for Kids

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shroud

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