cloak 1 of 2

Definition of cloaknext

cloak

2 of 2

verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb cloak differ from other similar words?

The words disguise and mask are common synonyms of cloak. While all three words mean "to alter the dress or appearance of so as to conceal the identity or true nature," cloak suggests a means of hiding a movement or an intention.

cloaked their maneuvers in secrecy

When is it sensible to use disguise instead of cloak?

While the synonyms disguise and cloak are close in meaning, disguise implies a change in appearance or behavior that misleads by presenting a different apparent identity.

disguised herself as a peasant

When is mask a more appropriate choice than cloak?

In some situations, the words mask and cloak are roughly equivalent. However, mask suggests some often obvious means of hiding or disguising something.

smiling to mask his discontent

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of cloak
Noun
As genetic instructions are being produced inside the parasite’s protein factory, ESB2 selectively destroys the sections that would generate excess helper proteins, while leaving the cloak instructions untouched. Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026 At other times, the cloak reads as an exterior, modulated, flowing sculptural layer—almost like a cloud that envelops the building, as with the Luma Tower in Arles, France. Norman Foster, Artforum, 26 Mar. 2026
Verb
During the eclipse, as the moon was cloaked in darkness, the crew members spotted flashes of light from meteoroids smacking into the lunar surface. Denise Chow, NBC news, 11 Apr. 2026 Like many of Grownkid’s events, today’s potluck was designed to grab attention, and cloaked in a thin veil of irony. Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 9 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for cloak
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cloak
Noun
  • By peering through thick veils of gas and dust, radio astronomers have been able to watch young binary stars orbit around one another in the heart of star-forming clouds — and, in the process, have revealed the stars' masses.
    Keith Cooper, Space.com, 28 Apr. 2026
  • Cassie pissily wearing her veil in the limo is kind of a slay.
    Emma Specter, Vogue, 27 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Not all heroes wear capes, but Geoff Cathcart has many to choose from.
    Samantha Stokes, Essence, 6 May 2026
  • Hailey Bieber wore a custom Saint Laurent dress featuring a gold bodice and a blue skirt and a matching blue cape.
    Dalila Muata, NBC news, 5 May 2026
Verb
  • Because Lee Corso has spent most of his 90 years teaching life lessons disguised as football lessons.
    Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 May 2026
  • Automakers, however, continue to use forms of dazzle camouflage to disguise prototype automobiles from other manufacturers and the media during testing.
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 May 2026
Verb
  • The indictment follows a probe by House Republicans into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic that scrutinized Morens’ email communications and accused him of intentionally concealing records.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2026
  • Police found the device concealed in the vehicle’s wheel well before the investigation was turned over to the department’s Detective Bureau, Podgorski said.
    Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 28 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Graves are dug by hand and bodies are only buried in caskets or shrouds made of biodegradable materials like bamboo or cotton.
    Dorany Pineda, Fortune, 2 May 2026
  • Graves are dug by hand and bodies are only buried in caskets or shrouds made of biodegradable materials like bamboo or cotton.
    ABC News, ABC News, 1 May 2026
Noun
  • And Beijing, on paper anyway, is an obvious contender to take up that mantle.
    Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 6 May 2026
  • The laggards in the polls also took on Steyer, painting him as hypocritical for claiming an environmentalist’s mantle, after acquiring some of his vast wealth with fossil fuel investments.
    James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026
Verb
  • With the house emptied of living (and costumed) guests, its furnishings, in all their liveliness, appear only to mask an unnatural torpor.
    Olivia Kan-Sperling, Artforum, 2 May 2026
  • Fabianne Therese plays a young woman on a hike in the woods with her boyfriend (Seann William Scott) who runs afoul of a bizarre, imposing figure (pro wrestler Max the Impaler) with a porcelain doll mask intent on raising her as a child.
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 1 May 2026
Verb
  • To add order, cabinets hide toys, there’s a small desk for homework, and East London Cloth café curtains filter the light.
    Katherine Burns Olson, Architectural Digest, 1 May 2026
  • The Harrison County Health Department notes dark clothing resembles the shadows mosquitoes hide in.
    Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 1 May 2026

Cite this Entry

“Cloak.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cloak. Accessed 9 May. 2026.

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