cloak 1 of 2

cloak

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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
Just like these are three very different snapshots of women pushing 60, in novels protagonists of a certain age are generally divided into two camps: One, where age is their superpower by virtue of draping them in a cloak of invisibility and/or by having rained down heaps of wisdom upon them. Sue Hincenbergs, People.com, 28 June 2025 In heartbreak lives hope, and if June isn’t hanging up her cloak, then neither can any of us. Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 3 June 2025
Verb
An IndyStar investigation found members of the group abused their power for years, cloaking themselves in a code of silence and operating with impunity. Kristine Phillips, IndyStar, 2 July 2025 This bill is part of a national effort to police family structures and control birthing bodies, cloaked in the language of tradition but rooted in exclusion and control. Laura A. Bischoff, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for cloak
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cloak
Noun
  • Not only that, but Katie Gaudreau’s veil featured custom messages in her brothers’ handwriting.
    Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 14 July 2025
  • The post also pulled back the veil, if only slightly, on the complex and secretive process federal officials use to determine who belongs on terrorism watch lists that can influence decisions every day by employers, airport security and law enforcement.
    Dan Horn, The Enquirer, 14 July 2025
Noun
  • Finally, some actual half-Italian/half-Swedish cinematic royalty in the form of Isabella Rossellini, regal in a sheer opera cape and a pair of sensible heels en route into the Alta Moda show at the Roman Forum.
    Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 16 July 2025
  • Anton slouches beside her, draped in an inverness cape, brandishing a cigarette and smirking beneath a rogue’s mustache.
    Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 14 July 2025
Verb
  • That's where the VIRSA framework comes in—an antidote to chaos disguised as complexity.
    Saby Waraich, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
  • What looks like one giant spotted egg is actually disguising a full polka dot dinnerware set, including two large plates and six bowls of various sizes, nested together like a Matryoshka doll.
    Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 8 July 2025
Verb
  • Hiding your number conceals it from everyone, including friends, family, and coworkers who have your number saved on their device, so there is a chance the call might go unanswered.
    Cody Godwin, USA Today, 25 July 2025
  • These methods conceal the user’s real card number and give the payment network control over spending caps, merchant lists and transaction permissions.
    Darko Pavic, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025
Noun
  • By June 2009, the boys — now men — had been released from prison and had their charges dismissed while a shroud of mystery remained over what happened that December night in 1991.
    Sean Neumann, People.com, 17 July 2025
  • Astronomers have used the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to study the dusty shrouds that envelope dying stars.
    Robert Lea, Space.com, 10 July 2025
Noun
  • In 1998, Jamie Dimon was a rising star on Wall Street, widely expected to assume the CEO mantle at Citigroup after helping build the financial conglomerate alongside his mentor Sandy Weill.
    Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 17 July 2025
  • This had paved the way for Vice President Kamala Harris to assume the mantle as the Democratic nominee, with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate.
    Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 July 2025
Verb
  • And as the number of A schools creeps upward, that’s ignited a debate on whether Florida is grading its schools effectively, and whether grade inflation is masking continued difficulties educating students.
    Steven Walker, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 July 2025
  • China's demand for petrol and diesel is falling as electric vehicle sales surge, but the trend is being masked by the country's massive strategic stockpiling of crude oil, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Friday.
    Jenni Reid, CNBC, 11 July 2025
Verb
  • But these unremarkable principles hide a dramatic shift in the relationship between science and government.
    David Michaels, The Atlantic, 20 July 2025
  • More than a month after the shooting, police located the vehicle Orona had driven, hidden on a Buckeye property owned by his girlfriend’s family.
    Rey Covarrubias Jr, AZCentral.com, 20 July 2025

Cite this Entry

“Cloak.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cloak. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.

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