plural hoods
1
a(1)
: a flexible covering for the head and neck
(2)
: a protective covering for the head and face
b
: a covering for a hawk's head and eyes
c
: a covering for a horse's head
also
: blinder
2
a
: an ornamental scarf worn over an academic gown that indicates by its color the wearer's college or university
b
: a color marking or crest on the head of an animal or an expansion of the head that suggests a hood
3
a
: something resembling a hood in form or use
b
: a cover for parts of mechanisms
specifically
: the movable metal covering over the engine of an automobile
c
chiefly British
: a top cover over the passenger section of a vehicle usually designed to be folded back
d
: an enclosure or canopy provided with a draft for carrying off fumes, sprays, smokes, or dusts
e
: a covering for an opening (such as a companion hatch) on a boat
hood
transitive verb
variants
or 'hood
plural hoods or 'hoods
informal, African American English
: a neighborhood and especially an inner-city neighborhood
Wow wow wow they putting a Raising Cane's [restaurant] in my hood …—@JaredEummer, on X, formerly Twitter
Such were the nicknames of boys—and girls—that grew up in my 'hood, where a kid's street handle back then was sometimes the only name you knew.—John W. Fountain
—often used with the"I come from the hood, one of the poorest zip codes in Kentucky," said [Charles] Booker, noting his family lived off food stamps even as his mother worked long hours in multiple jobs.—Bob Demaree
I loved growing up in the hood. You know I saw a lot of bad things too, I did, but the life in my neighborhood in the summertime when the baseball games were happening, and the corner store was open and everybody was out shooting craps in the alleyway, that's a part of where I came from.—Carrie Compere, quoted in The Trentonian (Trenton, New Jersey)
—often used before another nounWe do hood stuff, we do hood activities …—Chase Conley, quoted at deadline.com
I grew up listening to all kinds of hip hop—the … extra hood shit.—Evilgiane, quoted at hypebeast.com
plural hoods
informal
: hoodlum
… he understands the hood's plight that led him to crime.—Scott Waldyn
Named for his [Elvis Presley's] iconic song of the same name, Jailhouse Rock centers on Vince Everett, a young hood serving a one-year jail sentence for manslaughter.—Jake Dee
1
: state : condition : quality : character
likelihood
hardihood
2
: time : period
childhood
3
: instance of a (specified) state or quality
falsehood
4
: individuals sharing a (specified) state or character
sisterhood
priesthood
Cite this Entry
“Hood.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hood. Accessed 25 Aug. 2026.
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