WordGarden.ioveil
C1Pronunciation
UK
- /vˈeɪl/
US
- /ˈveɪl/
Meanings
Noun
a thin piece of cloth worn over the face or head, especially as part of bridal or religious dress
something that hides, softens, or partly obscures what is seen or known
Verb
to cover, conceal, or make something less direct or visible
Beyond the definition
A veil is often a thin piece of cloth worn over the face or head, especially by a bride or in some cultural or religious settings. But the word is also used for anything that hides or partly covers something, like fog veiling a mountaintop or silence veiling the truth. It can be a noun or a verb, and it often suggests mystery, distance, or something not fully seen. You might say a "veil of sadness" hung over her after bad news.
The word comes from the Latin velum, meaning a sail or curtain. Over time, it came to suggest both a literal covering and a figurative one. A detective, for example, might try to lift the "veil of deception" around a suspect, while clouds might veil the sun.
A veil is something that covers, hides, or partly blocks what is underneath, either in a physical or figurative way. The clearest example is a piece of thin fabric worn over the head or face, often in weddings, religious practice, or cultural tradition. In that sense, it is a real object: a bride may wear one as she walks down the aisle, or someone may wear one as part of daily dress or ceremony. It creates a soft barrier between the wearer and the outside world.
But the word is also common in a wider sense. As a noun, it can mean anything that hides or softens what we see or know. Fog can form a veil over the hills. Smoke can hang like a veil in the air. Sadness, secrecy, or silence can also act like a veil by making the truth harder to see.
As a verb, veil means to cover, hide, or make less clear. Clouds can veil the moon. Tears can veil someone's eyes. A careful answer can veil a person's real opinion. In this use, the word often suggests that something is not completely hidden, but only partly covered or made harder to notice.
Figuratively, the word often points to hidden knowledge, emotion, or meaning. We can speak of a "veil of secrecy," "a veil of sadness," or "lifting the veil" on a subject when something becomes clear. In these expressions, the idea is that something stands between us and full understanding.
So, whether you picture a bride's face covering, mist over a mountain, or language that hides the truth, veil is a word about partial covering, concealment, and the line between what is visible and what is still hidden.
Examples
- 1
Wedding clothing
The bride wore a long white veil over her face.
- 2
Weather
A thin veil of fog lay over the lake at sunrise.
- 3
Covering light
Thin clouds veiled the moon for a few minutes.
- 4
Secrecy
The details of the deal were kept behind a veil of secrecy.
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Indirect threat
His polite words sounded like a veiled threat.
- Phraseveiled threat
a threat expressed indirectly
- 6
Revealing secrets
The documentary lifts the veil on life inside the prison.
- Phraselift the veil on
reveal something that was hidden
See also
Forms and spellings
4 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- veilnounverb
Forms
- veiledpast tenseverbnoun
- veilspluralnounverb
- veiling-ing formverbnoun