Meaning & use
balaclava
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A knitted cap that pulls down over the whole head and neck, with an opening for the face or just the eyes.
Grammar: Countable: a balaclava, two balaclavas; people usually put one on or pull one down.
Patterns
- wear a balaclava
- pull a balaclava over something
Ahmed pulled his balaclava down over his ears before heading out into the snowstorm.
Skiers often wear a thin balaclava under their helmets on very cold mornings.
She knitted her nephew a bright red balaclava for the winter.
nouncountable
A similar head covering worn to hide someone's identity, often by robbers or by masked protesters.
Grammar: Countable; in news reports it often appears in the phrase a masked man in a balaclava.
Patterns
- a man in a balaclava
- wear a balaclava
Police released a photo of a man in a black balaclava leaving the shop.
The witness could not describe the thief's face because he wore a balaclava.
Word forms
| plural | balaclavas |
|---|
Common combinations
- wear a balaclava
- Cyclists in the race wore a balaclava because the wind was so sharp.
- woolen balaclava
- He kept a woolen balaclava in the glove compartment for emergencies.
- pull on a balaclava
- The climber pulled on a balaclava before stepping out of the tent.
- masked in a balaclava
- Two men masked in balaclavas ran from the bank.
- black balaclava
- The security camera showed a figure in a black balaclava.
Synonyms and how they differ
- ski mask
- Ski mask is the usual American term and often suggests the version with eye and mouth holes, while balaclava is the more general word in British English.
- face mask
- Face mask is much broader and may cover only the nose and mouth, whereas a balaclava also covers the head and neck.
- hood
- A hood is usually attached to a coat and is looser, while a balaclava is a fitted separate garment.
Commonly confused: balaclava or Balaclava?
balaclava vs Balaclava
With a capital letter this is the Crimean town where a famous 1854 battle took place; the lowercase word is the garment named after it.
Practice
The robber hid his identity by wearing a ______ over his head and face.
Choose one answer.
A balaclava is a fitted head covering that can hide the face. A baldric is a shoulder belt and a bolero is a short jacket, so neither covers the head.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “balaclava”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.