shrouds

Meanings

1. 1nounplural

   Plural of shroud: cloths wrapped around dead bodies before burial.

   Grammar: Plural countable noun: the shrouds were white.

   Patterns

   • wrapped in shrouds

   The bodies were wrapped in white shrouds.

   Ancient shrouds were found in the tomb.

   The museum displays burial shrouds from the old kingdom.

2. 2nounpluraltechnical

   The ropes or wires that run from a ship's mast to its sides and hold the mast steady.

   Grammar: Usually plural: the shrouds creaked in the wind.

   Patterns

   • climb the shrouds

   The sailor climbed the shrouds to fix the sail.

   The shrouds hold the mast firmly in strong winds.

3. 3verbtransitiveliterary

   Third person singular of shroud: covers or hides something so that it cannot be seen or understood.

   Grammar: Takes an object: fog shrouds the hills.

   Patterns

   • shroud something in something

   Fog shrouds the valley every winter morning.

   Secrecy shrouds the whole project.

Word forms

Common combinations

burial shrouds

Burial shrouds were made of linen.

mast shrouds

The mast shrouds were checked before the voyage.

shrouds in mist

Mist shrouds the mountain at dawn.

shrouds in secrecy

The company shrouds its plans in secrecy.

wrapped in shrouds

The bodies were wrapped in shrouds.

Synonyms and how they differ

coverings

Coverings is general, while shrouds in the burial sense are specifically for dead bodies.

rigging

Rigging is the whole system of ropes on a ship, and shrouds are one part of it.

veils

Veils suggests a thin covering that partly hides, softer than shrouds.

cloaks

Cloaks as a verb suggests deliberate hiding, whereas shrouds can be natural, like fog.

Opposites

Word family

shroud noun

a burial cloth, or something that hides

shrouded adjective

covered or hidden

shrouding noun

the act of covering

Commonly confused: shrouds or shrubs?

Practice

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