From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcloakcloak1 /kləʊk $ kloʊk/ ●○○ noun 1 [countable]DCC a warm piece of clothing like a coat without sleeves that hangs loosely from your shoulders2 [singular]HIDE/NOT SHOW an organization, activity, or way of behaving that deliberately protects someone or keeps something secretcloak of the cloak of secrecy around the affaircloak for The political party is used as a cloak for terrorist activities.under the cloak of something prejudice hiding under the cloak of religion
Examples from the Corpus
cloak• Darkness threw a cloak over my strangeness, so that people let me pass with a nod or a softly called greeting.• At one moment we see a little boy dressed in a black cloak gliding along.• I can really see Cadfael rattling round in his black cloak, taking a short cut on his errands round the town.• As I said she wore a mask, and a rich black cloak with white lambswool trimmings.• After you had slain the lady, you took one of her cloaks as well as the ring from her finger.• It was almost warm, and Riven hung his cloak by the saddle bow.• Corbett gagged at the bitter-sweet smell of corruption and covered his mouth and nose with his cloak to prevent himself choking.• The snow was begin-ning to stick to my cloak.cloak for• The group uses a charity organization as a cloak for terrorist activities.cloakcloak2 verb [transitive] 1 HIDE/NOT SHOWto deliberately hide facts, feelings etc so that people do not see or understand them – used especially in news reportsbe cloaked in secrecy/mystery The talks have been cloaked in secrecy.2 literaryCOVER to cover something, for example with darkness or snowbe cloaked in something hills cloaked in mistGrammar Cloak is usually passive. —cloaked adjective The riders were cloaked (=they wore cloaks).→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
cloak• And he has laid himself wide open to the kind of criticism that will cloak him in a dark shroud of misery.• It also ensures that the city is permanently cloaked in a stinking cloud of smoke and dust.• Often they are cloaked in the respectability of scientific terminology or social acceptability.• Evening twilight soon spread over the ocean and we were cloaked in the security of darkness.• Though once cloaked in the trappings of the occult, conversations with local psychics suggest a slightly more psychotherapeutic approach.• The fire crackled and cloaked my advance.• Blasting through the grey language that usually cloaks such matters he accuses the Fund of corruption, self-interest and deceit.• The hills behind my house are cloaked with three separate quilts.Origin cloak1 (1200-1300) Old North French cloque “bell, cloak”, from Medieval Latin clocca “bell” ( → CLOCK1); because of its shape 