veil
A thin piece of cloth that covers the face or head.
A piece of fine, often transparent cloth worn to cover the face, head, or both, for protection, modesty, or as part of a ceremony.
To cover something with a thin cloth or layer so it cannot be seen clearly.
To cover something with or as if with a veil.
Something that hides or makes it hard to see or know the truth.
Something that acts like a covering to hide, obscure, or disguise what is behind it, especially in a figurative sense.
- Base: veil
- Plural: veils
- Base: veil
- 3rd Person Singular: veils
- Present Participle: veiling
- Past: veiled
draw a veil over
1Avoid discussing something unpleasant
To choose not to talk about something because it is unpleasant or embarrassing.
- I think we should draw a veil over what happened last night.
- He drew a veil over his past mistakes.
lift the veil
1Reveal something hidden or secret
To make something known that was hidden before.
- The investigation lifted the veil on government corruption.
- Her memoir lifts the veil on life in the palace.
veil of secrecy
1Complete secrecy around something
A situation where information is kept completely secret.
- The project was carried out under a veil of secrecy.
- Negotiations continued behind a veil of secrecy.
veil of secrecy
2layer that hides full facts
A way of hiding the truth so that people cannot see or understand everything that is happening.
- The veil of secrecy surrounding the trial was finally lifted.
- Journalists tried to break through the veil of secrecy around the talks.
- A thick veil of secrecy still covers the organization’s finances.