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cover
[kuhv-er]
verb (used with object)
to be or serve as a covering for; extend over; rest on the surface of.
Snow covered the fields.
to place something over or upon, as for protection, concealment, or warmth.
to provide with a covering or top.
Cover the pot with a lid.
to protect or conceal (the body, head, etc.) with clothes, a hat, etc; wrap.
to bring upon (oneself).
He covered himself with glory by his exploits.
to hide from view; screen.
to spread on or over; apply to.
to cover bread with honey.
to put all over the surface of.
to cover a wall with paint.
to include, deal with, or provide for; address.
The rules cover working conditions.
to suffice to defray or meet (a charge, expense, etc.).
Ten dollars should cover the cost of a taxi.
to offset (an outlay, loss, liability, etc.).
to achieve in distance traversed; pass or travel over.
We covered 600 miles a day on our trip.
Journalism.
to act as a reporter or reviewer of (an event, a field of interest, a performance, etc.); have as an assignment.
She covers sports for the paper.
to publish or broadcast a report or reports of (a news item, a series of related events, etc.).
The press covered the trial in great detail.
to pass or rise over and surmount or envelop.
The river covered the town during the flood.
Insurance., to insure against risk or loss.
Military.
to be in line with by occupying a position directly before or behind.
to protect (a soldier, force, or military position) during an expected period of ground combat by taking a position from which any hostile troops can be fired upon.
to take temporary charge of or responsibility for in place of another.
Please cover my phone while I'm out to lunch.
to extend over; encompass.
The book covers 18th-century England.
to be assigned to or responsible for, as a territory or field of endeavor.
We have two sales representatives covering the Southwest.
to aim at, as with a pistol.
to have within range, as a fortress does adjacent territory.
to play a card higher than (the one led or previously played in the round).
to deposit the equivalent of (money deposited), as in wagering.
to accept the conditions of (a bet, wager, etc.).
Finance., (in short selling) to purchase securities or commodities in order to deliver them to the broker from whom they were borrowed.
Baseball., to take a position close to or at (a base) so as to catch a ball thrown to the base.
The shortstop covered second on the attempted steal.
Music.
to perform or record (a cover version of a song).
The band has covered more than ten Bob Dylan songs in concert.
to perform or record a cover version of a song by (another singer, instrumentalist, or group).
Many singers have covered Whitney Houston.
Sports., to guard (an opponent on offense) so as to prevent them from scoring or carrying out their assignment.
They tried to to cover a potential pass receiver.
(especially of a male animal) to copulate with.
(of a hen) to brood or sit on (eggs or chicks).
verb (used without object)
Informal., to serve as a substitute for someone who is absent.
We cover for the receptionist during lunch hour.
to hide the wrongful or embarrassing action of another by providing an alibi or acting in the other's place.
They covered for him when he missed roll call.
to play a card higher than the one led or previously played in the round.
She led the eight and I covered with the jack.
to spread over an area or surface, especially for the purpose of obscuring an existing covering or of achieving a desired thickness and evenness.
This paint is much too thin to cover.
noun
something that goes on top of or surrounds, such as the lid of a container or the binding of a book.
a blanket, quilt, or the like.
Put another cover on the bed.
anything that veils, screens, or shuts from sight.
under cover of darkness.
woods, underbrush, etc., serving to shelter and conceal wild animals or game; a covert.
Ecology., vegetation that serves to protect or conceal animals, such as birds, from excessive sunlight, from drying, or from predators.
a set of eating utensils and the like, as plate, knife, fork, and napkin, placed for each person at a table.
an assumed identity, occupation, or business that masks the true or real one.
His job at the embassy was a cover for his work as a spy.
a coating of snow, especially when suitable for skiing.
a pretense; feigning.
a person who substitutes for another or stands ready to substitute if needed.
She was hired as a cover for six roles at the opera house.
Philately.
an envelope or outer wrapping for mail.
a letter folded so that the address may be placed on the outside and the missive mailed.
Finance., funds to cover liability or secure against risk of loss.
Music., cover version.
Also called covering. Mathematics., a collection of sets having the property that a given set is contained in the union of the sets in the collection.
cover
/ ˈkʌvə /
verb
to place or spread something over so as to protect or conceal
to provide with a covering; clothe
to put a garment, esp a hat, on (the body or head)
to extend over or lie thickly on the surface of; spread
snow covered the fields
to bring upon (oneself); invest (oneself) as if with a covering
covered with shame
(sometimes foll by up) to act as a screen or concealment for; hide from view
military to protect (an individual, formation, or place) by taking up a position from which fire may be returned if those being protected are fired upon
to assume responsibility for (a person or thing)
to cover for a colleague in his absence
(intr; foll by for or up for) to provide an alibi (for)
to have as one's territory
this salesman covers your area
to travel over
to cover three miles a day
(tr) to have or place in the aim and within the range of (a firearm)
to include or deal with
his talk covered all aspects of the subject
(of an asset or income) to be sufficient to meet (a liability or expense)
to insure against loss, risk, etc
to provide for (loss, risk, etc) by insurance
(also intr) finance to purchase (securities, etc) in order to meet contracts, esp short sales
to deposit (an equivalent stake) in a bet or wager
(also intr) to play a card higher in rank than (one played beforehand by another player)
to act as reporter or photographer on (a news event, etc) for a newspaper or magazine
to cover sports events
sport to guard or protect (an opponent, team-mate, or area)
music to record a cover version of
(of a male animal, esp a horse) to copulate with (a female animal)
(of a bird) to brood (eggs)
noun
anything that covers, spreads over, protects, or conceals
woods or bushes providing shelter or a habitat for wild creatures
a blanket used on a bed for warmth
another word for bedspread
finance liquid assets, reserves, or guaranteed income sufficient to discharge a liability, meet an expenditure, etc
a pretext, disguise, or false identity
the thief sold brushes as a cover
insurance another word for coverage
an envelope or package for sending through the post
under plain cover
philately
an entire envelope that has been postmarked
(of a postage stamp) kept in this form by collectors
an individual table setting, esp in a restaurant
sport the guarding or protection of an opponent, team-mate, or area
Also called: cover version. a version by a different artist of a previously recorded musical item
cricket
(often plural) the area more or less at right angles to the pitch on the off side and usually about halfway to the boundary
to field in the covers
( as modifier )
a cover drive by a batsman
Also called: cover point. a fielder in such a position
ecology the percentage of the ground surface covered by a given species of plant
(esp of game animals) to come out from a shelter or hiding place
to make for a place of safety or shelter
protected, concealed, or in secret
under cover of night
Other Word Forms
- coverless adjective
- coverer noun
- coverable adjective
- half-covered adjective
- precover verb (used with object)
- well-covered adjective
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of cover1
Idioms and Phrases
blow one's cover, to divulge one's secret identity, especially inadvertently.
The TV news story blew his carefully fabricated cover.
break cover, to emerge, especially suddenly, from a place of concealment.
The fox broke cover and the chase was on.
(from) cover to cover, from beginning to end (of a book or other printed publication).
I don’t usually read magazines cover to cover.
take cover, to seek shelter or safety.
The hikers took cover in a deserted cabin to escape the sudden storm.
under separate cover, in a separate envelope.
The report will be mailed to you under separate cover.
cover one's / someone's ass, to take measures that will prevent oneself or another person from suffering blame, loss, harm, etc.
under cover, clandestinely; secretly.
Arrangements for the escape were made under cover.
More idioms and phrases containing cover
- (cover a) multitude of sins
- blow one's cover
- break cover
- judge a book by its cover
- take cover
- under cover
Synonym Study
Example Sentences
“Scarecrow” includes a Slash-composed cover of traditional folk number “O Death.”
His constant demand for gratitude has garnered international attention, but it isn’t covered much inside the U.S.
This covered her personal position in relation to council tax, stamp duty land tax, capital gains tax and inheritance tax.
I wanted to feel like a professor in the woods, so we purchased a bunch of used books from the Last Bookstore and stacked them along a winding pathway and then covered them with moss.
He said the House has passed a $1.75-billion appropriation covering all construction of VA hospitals, clinics, housing and even cemeteries across the nation.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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