A cloakroom is a room where people temporarily store their coats, bags, and other belongings. You'll find cloakrooms in theaters, museums, restaurants, and schools. Before a play begins, audience members might check their heavy winter coats at the cloakroom rather than stuffing them under their seats.

The word comes from a time when people commonly wore cloaks, which are long, flowing garments that drape over your shoulders like a cape. In British English, a cloakroom can also mean a bathroom or restroom, particularly in public buildings. Americans rarely use the word this way, but if you're reading a British book and a character excuses themselves to the cloakroom, they might be headed to wash their hands rather than retrieve their jacket.

Schools sometimes call the area where students hang their backpacks and jackets a cloakroom, though many schools now use lockers or cubbies instead. The idea remains the same: a designated space where you can safely leave your things while you focus on something else, knowing you'll collect them later.