cov·er

[kuhv-er]
verb (used with object)
1.
to be or serve as a covering for; extend over; rest on the surface of: Snow covered the fields.
2.
to place something over or upon, as for protection, concealment, or warmth.
3.
to provide with a covering or top: Cover the pot with a lid.
4.
to protect or conceal (the body, head, etc.) with clothes, a hat, etc; wrap.
5.
to bring upon (oneself): He covered himself with glory by his exploits.
6.
to hide from view; screen.
7.
to spread on or over; apply to: to cover bread with honey.
8.
to put all over the surface of: to cover a wall with paint.
9.
to include, deal with, or provide for; address: The rules cover working conditions.
10.
to suffice to defray or meet (a charge, expense, etc.): Ten dollars should cover my expenses.
11.
to offset (an outlay, loss, liability, etc.).
12.
to achieve in distance traversed; pass or travel over: We covered 600 miles a day on our trip.
13.
Journalism.
a.
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.
b.
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.
14.
to pass or rise over and surmount or envelop: The river covered the town during the flood.
15.
Insurance. to insure against risk or loss.
16.
to shelter; protect; serve as a defense for.
17.
Military.
a.
to be in line with by occupying a position directly before or behind.
b.
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.
18.
to take temporary charge of or responsibility for in place of another: Please cover my phone while I'm out to lunch.
19.
to extend over; comprise: The book covers 18th-century England.
20.
to be assigned to or responsible for, as a territory or field of endeavor: We have two sales representatives covering the Southwest.
21.
to aim at, as with a pistol.
22.
to have within range, as a fortress does adjacent territory.
23.
to play a card higher than (the one led or previously played in the round).
24.
to deposit the equivalent of (money deposited), as in wagering.
25.
to accept the conditions of (a bet, wager, etc.).
26.
(in short selling) to purchase securities or commodities in order to deliver them to the broker from whom they were borrowed.
27.
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.
28.
Sports. to guard (an opponent on offense) so as to prevent him or her from scoring or carrying out his or her assignment: to cover a potential pass receiver.
29.
(especially of a male animal) to copulate with.
30.
(of a hen) to brood or sit on (eggs or chicks).
verb (used without object)
31.
Informal. to serve as a substitute for someone who is absent: We cover for the receptionist during lunch hour.
32.
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.
33.
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.
34.
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.
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noun
35.
something that covers, as the lid of a container or the binding of a book.
36.
a blanket, quilt, or the like: Put another cover on the bed.
37.
protection; shelter; concealment.
38.
anything that veils, screens, or shuts from sight: under cover of darkness.
39.
woods, underbrush, etc., serving to shelter and conceal wild animals or game; a covert.
40.
Ecology. vegetation that serves to protect or conceal animals, such as birds, from excessive sunlight, from drying, or from predators.
41.
a set of eating utensils and the like, as plate, knife, fork, and napkin, placed for each person at a table.
42.
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.
43.
a covering of snow, especially when suitable for skiing.
44.
a pretense; feigning.
45.
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.
46.
cover charge.
47.
Philately.
a.
an envelope or outer wrapping for mail.
b.
a letter folded so that the address may be placed on the outside and the missive mailed.
48.
Finance. funds to cover liability or secure against risk of loss.
49.
Music. cover version.
50.
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.
Verb phrases
51.
cover up,
a.
to cover completely; enfold.
b.
to keep secret; conceal: She tried to cover up her part in the plot.
Idioms
52.
blow one's cover, to divulge one's secret identity, especially inadvertently: The TV news story blew his carefully fabricated cover.
53.
break cover, to emerge, especially suddenly, from a place of concealment: The fox broke cover and the chase was on.
54.
cover one's ass, Slang: Vulgar. to take measures that will prevent one from suffering blame, loss, harm, etc.
55.
take cover, to seek shelter or safety: The hikers took cover in a deserted cabin to escape the sudden storm.
56.
under cover,
a.
clandestinely; secretly: Arrangements for the escape were made under cover.
b.
within an envelope: The report will be mailed to you under separate cover.
Origin:
1200–50; Middle English coveren < Old French covrir < Latin cooperīre to cover completely, equivalent to co- co- + operīre to shut, close, cover (op-, apparently for ob- ob- + -erīre; see aperient)

Related forms
cov·er·a·ble, adjective
cov·er·er, noun
cov·er·less, adjective
half-cov·ered, adjective
pre·cov·er, verb (used with object)
well-cov·ered, adjective

Synonyms
2. overlay, overspread, envelop, enwrap. 6. cloak, conceal. 11. counterbalance, compensate for. 37, 38. Cover, protection, screen, shelter mean a defense against harm or danger and a provision for safety. The main idea in cover is that of concealment, as in darkness, in a wood, or behind something: The ground troops were left without cover when the air force was withdrawn. Screen refers especially to something behind which one can hide: A heavy fire formed a screen for ground operations. Protection and shelter emphasize the idea of a guard or defense, a shield against injury or death. A protection is any such shield: In World War II, an air cover of airplanes served as a protection for troops. A shelter is something that covers over and acts as a place of refuge: An abandoned monastery acted as a shelter.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To cover
Collins
World English Dictionary
cover (ˈkʌvə) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—vb (often foll by for)
1.  to place or spread something over so as to protect or conceal
2.  to provide with a covering; clothe
3.  to put a garment, esp a hat, on (the body or head)
4.  to extend over or lie thickly on the surface of; spread: snow covered the fields
5.  to bring upon (oneself); invest (oneself) as if with a covering: covered with shame
6.  (sometimes foll by up) to act as a screen or concealment for; hide from view
7.  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
8.  to assume responsibility for (a person or thing): to cover for a colleague in his absence
9.  (intr; foll by for or up for) to provide an alibi (for)
10.  to have as one's territory: this salesman covers your area
11.  to travel over: to cover three miles a day
12.  (tr) to have or place in the aim and within the range of (a firearm)
13.  to include or deal with: his talk covered all aspects of the subject
14.  (of an asset or income) to be sufficient to meet (a liability or expense)
15.  a.  to insure against loss, risk, etc
 b.  to provide for (loss, risk, etc) by insurance
16.  (also intr) finance to purchase (securities, etc) in order to meet contracts, esp short sales
17.  to deposit (an equivalent stake) in a bet or wager
18.  (also intr) to play a card higher in rank than (one played beforehand by another player)
19.  to act as reporter or photographer on (a news event, etc) for a newspaper or magazine: to cover sports events
20.  sport to guard or protect (an opponent, team-mate, or area)
21.  music to record a cover version of
22.  (of a male animal, esp a horse) to copulate with (a female animal)
23.  (of a bird) to brood (eggs)
 
—n
24.  anything that covers, spreads over, protects, or conceals
25.  woods or bushes providing shelter or a habitat for wild creatures
26.  a.  a blanket used on a bed for warmth
 b.  another word for bedspread
27.  finance liquid assets, reserves, or guaranteed income sufficient to discharge a liability, meet an expenditure, etc
28.  a pretext, disguise, or false identity: the thief sold brushes as a cover
29.  insurance another word for coverage
30.  an envelope or package for sending through the post: under plain cover
31.  philately
 a.  an entire envelope that has been postmarked
 b.  on cover (of a postage stamp) kept in this form by collectors
32.  an individual table setting, esp in a restaurant
33.  sport the guarding or protection of an opponent, team-mate, or area
34.  Also called: cover version a version by a different artist of a previously recorded musical item
35.  cricket
 a.  (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
 b.  (as modifier): a cover drive by a batsman
 c.  Also called: cover point a fielder in such a position
36.  ecology the percentage of the ground surface covered by a given species of plant
37.  break cover (esp of game animals) to come out from a shelter or hiding place
38.  take cover to make for a place of safety or shelter
39.  under cover protected, concealed, or in secret: under cover of night
 
[C13: from Old French covrir, from Latin cooperīre to cover completely, from operīre to cover over]
 
'coverable
 
—adj
 
'coverer
 
—n
 
'coverless
 
—adj

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

cover
c.1150, from O.Fr. covrir, from L.L. coperire, from L. cooperire "to cover over," from com- intens. prefix + operire "to close, cover" (see weir). Military sense is from 1687; newspaper sense first recorded 1893; use in football dates from 1907. Betting sense is 1857. As a
euphemism for "copulation of horses" it dates from 1535. Meaning "recording of a song already recorded by another" is 1966. Cover-up is from 1927. Cover girl is U.S. slang from 1915, shortening of magazine-cover girl.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

cover

In addition to the idioms beginning with cover, also see blow one's cover; break cover; judge a book by its cover; (cover a) multitude of sins; take cover; under cover.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Example sentences
And whenever the sun's brightness changes because of cloud cover or the time of
  day, the inverter needs to find the new optimum.
What an opportunity, to be able to cover topics simply because they're
  interesting.
We cover vast tracts of land with pavement where the previous life is
  completely extinguished.
Good ground cover for small areas, though it can overwhelm smaller plants.
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