Cover Definition

kŭvər
covered, covering, covers
verb
covered, covering, covers
To place something on, over, or in front of, so as to conceal, protect, or close.
Webster's New World
To extend over; overlay; blanket.
Snow covered the highway.
Webster's New World
To put on a cap, hat, etc.
Webster's New World
To provide an alibi, excuse, or subterfuge (for another)
Webster's New World
To spread over a surface, as a liquid does.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
noun
covers
Something that covers or is laid, placed, or spread over or upon something else, as:
American Heritage
Anything that covers, as a bookbinding, the front part of the binding of a magazine, a jar lid, a box top, etc.
Webster's New World
A shelter for protection, as from gunfire.
Webster's New World
A hiding place for game, as a thicket, underbrush, etc.
Webster's New World
Strategic protection given by armed units during hostile action.
The battleship approached the combat zone under a cover of fighter planes.
American Heritage
Antonyms:
adjective
Of or pertaining to the front cover of a book or magazine.
Wiktionary
(music) Of, pertaining to, or consisting of cover versions.
Wiktionary
idiom
cover (one's) ass
  • To take measures to avoid being held responsible if something goes wrong.
American Heritage
cover (one's) tracks
  • To conceal traces so as to elude pursuers.
American Heritage
cover (the) ground
  • To traverse a given distance with satisfying speed.
  • To deal with or accomplish something in a certain manner:

    The history course covered a lot of ground in six weeks.

American Heritage
cover the waterfront
  • To treat, examine, or include a full range of things:

    a book that covers the waterfront on starting your own business.

American Heritage
take cover
  • To seek concealment or protection, as from enemy fire.
American Heritage

Other Word Forms of Cover

Noun

Singular:
cover
Plural:
covers

Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Cover

Origin of Cover

  • Middle English coveren, from Old French covrir, cueuvrir (Modern French couvrir) from Late Latin coperire from Latin cooperio (“I cover completely”), from co-, intensive prefix, + operio (“I close, cover”). Displaced native Middle English thecchen and bethecchen (“to cover”) (from Old English þeccan, beþeccan (“to cover”)), Middle English helen, (over)helen, (f)helen (“to cover, conceal”) (from Old English helan (“to conceal, cover, hide”)), Middle English wrien, (be)wreon (“to cover”) (from Old English (be)wrēon (“to cover”)), Middle English hodren, hothren (“to cover up”) (from Low German hudren (“to cover up”)).

    From Wiktionary

  • According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the original sense of the verb and noun cover was hide from view as in its cognate covert. Except in the limited sense of cover again, the word recover is unrelated and is cognate with recuperate.

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English coveren from Old French covrir from Latin cooperīre to cover completely co- intensive pref. co– operīre to cover wer-4 in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

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