veil 1 of 2

noun

ˈvāl How to pronounce veil (audio)
Definition of veilnext
as in shroud
something that covers or conceals like a piece of cloth under the veil of descending darkness the thieves began their operation

Synonyms & Similar Words

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veil

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to conceal
to keep secret or shut off from view a thicket of bushes veils the private beach from the road

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to shroud
to surround or cover closely morning fog veiled the fields

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 veil
Noun
Oh, and a Stephen Jones veil to complete the look, of course. — Liam Hess, Vogue, 21 July 2026 Today, Mars is wrapped in an atmosphere little more than a thin veil that is 100 times thinner than Earth's and slowly leaking into space. — Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 17 July 2026
Verb
Decked out in her wedding dress and veil and clutching a bridal bouquet, Bethan Thomas rode the Coryton line of the South Wales Metro from Birchgrove to Penarth — about a half-hour journey — to get to her ceremony at Penarth Pier Pavilion on May 9. — Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 15 May 2026 Like the Jim Crow combination cars, these curtains kept the dining car segregated, while also thinly veiling America’s commitment to separate and unequal. — Literary Hub, 11 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for veil
Recent Examples of Synonyms for veil
  1. shroud
  2. conceal
  3. wrap
  4. cloak
  5. hide
  6. envelop
  7. blanket
  8. obscure
Noun
  • The trauma would remain buried beneath a heavy shroud of silence and shame, resurfacing only decades later—almost violently breaking through—during a hypnosis session.
    — Olivier Bouchara, Vanity Fair, 24 July 2026
  • Like Penelope’s shroud, it is woven and unwoven, always becoming, never complete.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 July 2026
Definition of shroud
Verb
  • The narrator spends years assembling the truth of this death, concealed by his family, and discovers that Calcutta and Dhaka experienced those riots as mirror images of each other.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 July 2026
  • The sign concealed a smaller building that was a holdout on the corner of West 34th Street and Broadway when Macy's was built in the early 1900s.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 July 2026
Definition of conceal
Verb
  • Bursting with juicy mango and wrapped in a soft, pillowy haze, this IPA brings big Midway energy to every sip.
    — Jess Fleming, Twin Cities, 21 July 2026
  • The sandals are completed by delicate, adjustable ankle straps that wrap over the top of the foot and fasten with a buckle closure.
    — Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 21 July 2026
Definition of wrap
Noun
  • To create the body of her costume, Barnes draped a blue cloak over a large hoop skirt.
    — Jesa Marie Calaor, Allure, 24 July 2026
  • Merlin is draped in a long, light-colored cloak with a white hood over his head, obscuring his face.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 July 2026
Definition of cloak
Verb
  • The officers also have drones and helicopters equipped to track people hiding in the dark.
    — Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 29 July 2026
  • Here, cocktails, snacks, and afternoon tea are served daily and make for a great little spot to hide out from the heavy heat of the day.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 July 2026
Definition of hide
Verb
  • More than three hundred unionized workers at the Victoria & Albert Museum are set to vote on a strike action spurred by the broiling heat that has enveloped the city in recent weeks, The Guardian reports.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 27 July 2026
  • The increasing temperatures come courtesy of the slight expansion of a heat dome that has enveloped much of the central and southern Plains, the southern Rockies, the Desert Southwest and the upper Midwest.
    — Rick Hurd, Mercury News, 27 July 2026
Definition of envelop
Noun
  • Taupe linen shades soften red brick walls, as do teal velvet sofas, handmade straw baskets, and wool blankets woven by local company Evangeline.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 July 2026
  • Mezcal is a blanket term that refers to spirits made from the agave plant.
    — Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 23 July 2026
Definition of blanket
Verb
  • Yet statistics alone obscure another story and one that is rarely centered in public memory.
    — Jallicia Jolly, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026
  • Their selective invocations of Washington may have obscured his complicity, but some abolitionists truly believed doing so would help bring the horror of American slavery to an end.
    — John Garrison Marks, The Atlantic, 25 July 2026
Definition of obscure

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Cite this Entry

“Veil.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/veil. Accessed 1 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on veil

Nglish: Translation of veil for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about veil

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