- a piece of very thin material, worn especially by women to protect or hide the face, or as part of a hat, etc.
- The bridal veil was fringed with lace.
Extra ExamplesTopics Clothes and Fashionc1- A veil covered her face.
- I couldn't see her face behind the veil.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- thin
- black
- white
- …
- wear
- take
- lift
- …
- cover something
- hide something
- behind a/the veil
- a piece of cloth worn over the head and shoulders by nuns or Muslim womenOxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
- thin
- black
- white
- …
- wear
- take
- lift
- …
- cover something
- hide something
- behind a/the veil
- [singular] (formal) something that stops you from learning the truth about a situation
- Their work is carried out behind a veil of secrecy.
- It would be better to draw a veil over what happened next (= not talk about it).
Extra Examples- I'll draw a discreet veil over the rest of the proceedings.
- The government has decided to lift the veil on its plans.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- discreet
- lift
- penetrate
- pierce
- …
- behind a veil of
- under a veil of
- [singular] (formal) a thin layer that stops you from seeing something
- The mountain tops were hidden beneath a veil of mist.
- He couldn't see anything through the veil of cloud.
Word OriginMiddle English: from Anglo-Norman French veil(e), from Latin vela, plural of velum ‘sail, curtain, covering, veil’.
Idioms
See veil in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee veil in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishtake the veil
- (old-fashioned) to become a nun
Check pronunciation:
veil