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

Relevance

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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
For her wedding look, the singer wore a Victorian-style gown with a traditional veil and styled her hair half-up, half-down. — Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 31 July 2026 Phoebe wore an ethereal veil in her blonde hair, which was styled in a half-up, half-down hairdo with bouncy curls. — Christina Perrier, InStyle, 28 July 2026
Verb
Most are soft; some are veiled by haze or sea mist, and others employ blur to picturesque ends. — James Quandt, Artforum, 2 June 2026 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 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
  • The new cloak is designed to accommodate arbitrary inner and outer shapes while operating omnidirectionally.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 29 July 2026
  • Just running around wearing cloaks, slinking into and out of castles, slicing the throats of all who cross her.
    — Brian Grubb, Vulture, 27 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
  • Other in-flight amenities include noise-canceling headphones, large pillow, 100% wool blanket, and an amenity kit.
    — Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Aug. 2026
  • But, the question now looms as to whether the NCAA should just grant a blanket waiver to all athletes, no matter the sport, that will keep the organization out of a courtroom.
    — Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of blanket
Verb
  • The government label can obscure the fact that state loans function much more like private credit products.
    — Annie Nova, CNBC, 2 Aug. 2026
  • And amid all the noise, something important will be obscured.
    — Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of obscure

Browse Nearby Words

vehicles
veil
veiled
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Veil.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/veil. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on veil

Nglish: Translation of veil for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about veil

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of élan

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All