shroud

1 of 2

noun

ˈshrau̇d How to pronounce shroud (audio)
 especially Southern  ˈsrau̇d
1
: burial garment : winding-sheet, cerement
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
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
4
obsolete : shelter, protection

Illustration of shroud

Illustration of shroud
  • 1 shroud 3a

shroud

2 of 2

verb

shrouded; shrouding; shrouds

transitive verb

1
a
: to cut off from view : obscure
trees shrouded by fog
this point is shrouded in uncertaintyHenry James
b
: to veil under another appearance (as by obscuring or disguising)
shrouded the decision in a series of formalities
2
: to dress for burial
3
a
archaic : to cover for protection
b
obsolete : conceal

intransitive verb

archaic : to seek shelter

Examples of shroud in a Sentence

Noun the truth of the affair will always be hidden under a shroud of secrecy Verb The mountains were shrouded in fog. Their work is shrouded in secrecy.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
That’s because cutting-edge encryption shrouds information behind mathematical problems (such as factoring enormous numbers) that are conjectured to be unsolvable in any practical amount of time. Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 22 Oct. 2025 Still, Sottosanti didn’t further pursue his interest in the shroud until recently. Ashley MacKin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Oct. 2025
Verb
Air pollution in New Delhi hit a five-year high this week, as Diwali fireworks combined with farming fires to shroud the city in a toxic haze. Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 22 Oct. 2025 This is not even the first time in the past year that Tyler’s old material has resurfaced online, spawning a familiar ouroboros of online discourse, shrouded in the language of accountability and well-meaning politics, that mostly serves to feed the beast of online engagement. Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 21 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for shroud

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, garment, from Old English scrūd; akin to Old English scrēade shred — more at shred entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 3a

Time Traveler
The first known use of shroud was in the 14th century

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Cite this Entry

“Shroud.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shroud. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

shroud

1 of 2 noun
1
: the cloth placed over or around a dead body
2
: something that covers or shelters like a shroud
a shroud of secrecy
3
: one of the ropes that go from the masthead of a ship to the sides to provide support to the mast

shroud

2 of 2 verb
: to cover with or as if with a shroud
shrouded in fog

More from Merriam-Webster on shroud

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