cover (covers plural & 3rd person present) (covering present participle) (covered past tense & past participle )
1 verb If you cover something, you place something else over it in order to protect it, hide it, or close it.
Cover the casserole with a tight-fitting lid... V n with n
He whimpered and covered his face... V n
Keep what's left in a covered container in the fridge. V-ed
2 verb If one thing covers another, it has been placed over it in order to protect it, hide it, or close it.
His finger went up to touch the black patch which covered his left eye... V n
His head was covered with a khaki turban. be V-ed with n
3 verb If one thing covers another, it forms a layer over its surface.
The clouds had spread and nearly covered the entire sky... V n
The desk was covered with papers... be V-ed with/in n
4 verb To cover something with or in something else means to put a layer of the second thing over its surface.
The trees in your garden may have covered the ground with apples, pears or plums... V n with/in n
5 verb If you cover a particular distance, you travel that distance.
It would not be easy to cover ten miles on that amount of petrol... V n
6 verb To cover someone or something means to protect them from attack, for example by pointing a gun in the direction of people who may attack them, ready to fire the gun if necessary.
You go first. I'll cover you. V n
7 n-uncount Cover is protection from enemy attack that is provided for troops or ships carrying out a particular operation, for example by aircraft.
(=protection)
They said they could not provide adequate air cover for ground operations.
8 n-uncount Cover is trees, rocks, or other places where you shelter from the weather or from an attack, or hide from someone.
(=shelter)
Charles lit the fuses and they ran for cover.
9 verb An insurance policy that covers a person or thing guarantees that money will be paid by the insurance company in relation to that person or thing.
Their insurer paid the £900 bill, even though the policy did not strictly cover it... V n
You should take out travel insurance covering you and your family against theft. V n against n
10 n-uncount Insurance cover is a guarantee from an insurance company that money will be paid by them if it is needed.
(=protection)
Make sure that the firm's insurance cover is adequate.
11 verb If a law covers a particular set of people, things, or situations, it applies to them.
The law covers four categories of experiments... V n
12 verb If you cover a particular topic, you discuss it in a lecture, course, or book.
(=deal with)
The Oxford Chemistry Primers aim to cover important topics in organic chemistry... V n
13 verb If journalists, newspapers, or television companies cover an event, they report on it.
Robinson was sent to Italy to cover the 1990 World Cup... V n
14 verb If a sum of money covers something, it is enough to pay for it.
Send it to the address given with £1.50 to cover postage and administration... V n
15 n-count A cover is something which is put over an object, usually in order to protect it.
oft n N
...a family room with washable covers on the furniture., ...a duvet cover.
16 n-plural The covers on your bed are the things such as sheets and blankets that you have on top of you.
usu the N
(=bedclothes)
17 n-count The cover of a book or a magazine is the outside part of it.
...a small spiral-bound booklet with a green cover..., I used to read every issue from cover to cover.
18 n-count Something that is a cover for secret or illegal activities seems respectable or normal, and is intended to hide the activities.
usu sing
(=front)
They set up a spurious temple that was a cover for sexual debauchery..., As a cover story he generally tells people he is a freelance photographer.
19 verb If you cover for someone who is doing something secret or illegal, you give false information or do not give all the information you have, in order to protect them.
Why would she cover for someone who was trying to kill her? V for n
20 verb If you cover for someone who is ill or away, you do their work for them while they are not there.
She did not have enough nurses to cover for those who went ill or took holiday. V for n
21 verb To cover a song originally performed by someone else means to record a new version of it.
He must make a decent living from other artists covering his songs. V n
22 n-count A cover is the same as a cover version.
usu N of n
The single is a cover of an old Rolling Stones song.
24 To blow someone's cover means to cause their true identity or the true nature of their work to be revealed.
INFORMAL
to blow sb's cover phrase V inflects
The young man looked embarrassed, as if he were a spy whose cover had been blown.
25 If you break cover, you leave a place where you have been hiding or sheltering from attack, usually in order to run to another place.
to break cover phrase V inflects
They began running again, broke cover and dashed towards the road.
26 If you take cover, you shelter from gunfire, bombs, or the weather.
to take cover phrase V inflects, oft PHR prep
(=shelter)
Shoppers took cover behind cars as police marksmen returned fire.
27 If you are under cover, you are under something that protects you from gunfire, bombs, or the weather.
under cover phrase PHR after v, v-link PHR
`Get under cover!' shouted Billy, and we darted once more for the tables.
28 If you do something under cover of a particular situation, you are able to do it without being noticed because of that situation.
under cover of prep-phrase
They move under cover of darkness.
29 If you cover your back or cover your rear, you do something in order to protect yourself, for example against criticism or against accusations of doing something wrong.
cover your back/cover your rear phrase V inflects
The canny Premier covered his back by pointing out that he was of Scottish stock. cover up
1 phrasal verb If you cover something or someone up, you put something over them in order to protect or hide them.
He fell asleep in the front room so I covered him up with a duvet. V n P, Also V P n (not pron)
2 phrasal verb If you cover up something that you do not want people to know about, you hide the truth about it. He suspects there's a conspiracy to cover up the crime... V P n (not pron) They knew they had done something terribly wrong and lied to cover it up... V n P How do we know you're not just covering up for your friend? V P for n →
cover-up
cover charge (cover charges plural )A cover charge is a sum of money that you must pay in some restaurants and nightclubs in addition to the money that you pay there for your food and drink. n-count usu sing
cover girl (cover girls plural )A cover girl is an attractive woman whose photograph appears on the front of a magazine. n-count
cover letter (cover letters plural )A cover letter is the same as a covering letter.
(AM) n-count
cover-mounted , covermounted
Cover-mounted items such as cassettes, videos and CDs are attached to the front of a magazine as free gifts. adj
The first issue has a cover-mounted CD-ROM.
cover-up (cover-ups plural )
in AM, also use coverup A cover-up is an attempt to hide a crime or mistake. n-count
General Schwarzkopf denied there'd been any cover-up.
cover version (cover versions plural )A cover versionof a song is a version of it recorded by a singer or band who did not originally perform the song. n-count oft N of n
(=cover)
...a new album of Cole Porter cover versions.
