uncoverun‧cov‧er /ʌnˈkʌvə $ -ər/ ●●○ verb [transitive] 
Verb Table Examples
Customs officials uncovered a plot to smuggle weapons into the country.2to remove the cover from something
Verb TableVERB TABLE
uncover
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | uncover |
| he, she, it | uncovers | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | uncovered |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have uncovered |
| he, she, it | has uncovered | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had uncovered |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will uncover |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have uncovered |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am uncovering |
| he, she, it | is uncovering | |
| you, we, they | are uncovering | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was uncovering |
| you, we, they | were uncovering | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been uncovering |
| he, she, it | has been uncovering | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been uncovering |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be uncovering |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been uncovering |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Thesaurus- A search of their luggage uncovered two pistols.
- But when he uncovered the picture, he gave a cry of pain.
- Modern men and women work assiduously at sites like Uxmal to uncover every clue.
- More skeletons of probable plague victims were uncovered on the Rock House site in July 1987.
- Should he uncover it, he wondered?
- The research is to uncover and outline all the elements upon which multiple territorial entities could arise.
- Thwarting Chan and the girls in their endeavor to uncover the gold are roving bands of unaffiliated bad guys.
- We walked into this uncovered base camp.
Longman Language Activatorto find out something new or something that was secret► find out
Collocations · He just had to hope he'd get away with it and that nobody would find out.· She doesn't want people to find out her age.· You read her diary? Just make sure she never finds out!find out what/why/how etc · Dad was furious when he found out where I was living.find out about · It's a surprise party, so I don't want her to find out about it.find out (that) · It was three months before my parents found out I'd been going out with Peter.find somebody out (=find out someone's secret) British · It won't work. Someone's bound to find you out eventually.
► uncover/unearth to find out information that has been deliberately kept secret, especially while you are studying or examining a particular subject: · Detectives have uncovered a plan to smuggle illegal weapons into the country.· Lawyers unearthed evidence that he held several bank accounts.
► dig up to find out information by searching carefully for it, especially information about someone's past that they have deliberately tried to keep secret: dig something up/dig up something: · I wanted to dig a few more facts up for my article.dig up dirt on somebody (=find out something bad about someone): · Politicians try to dig up dirt on their opponents.dig something up on somebody: · He wanted as much evidence as could be dug up on the girl.
► get at to find something out, especially the truth about a situation, or facts that someone has tried to hide: · It's hard to get at the facts when people are afraid to speak out.· He was a good reporter, who wanted to get at the truth and present it without bias.
► get wind of informal to find out about a situation or something that is going to happen, especially when it is supposed to be secret: · Reporters somehow got wind of the fact that Carr was going to be arrested.
► get wise to informal to find out about something such as a trick or an illegal activity: · The police parked an empty patrol car there to reduce speeding, but drivers got wise to it pretty quickly.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES► expose/uncover corruption
Word family (=show that it exists)· The newspaper prided itself on exposing corruption in government.
► uncover/discover a plot· They didn’t suspect that their plot had been uncovered.
► uncover/expose a scandal· The scandal was uncovered by a journalist.
► find out/discover/uncover the truth· She was determined to find out the truth.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB► recently· Police recently uncovered a ring that was selling crack through two girls living in the tiny town of Downs, population 620.· The towering buildings on either side are as solemn and silent as any of those monumental guardians recently uncovered along the Nile.
NOUN► evidence· After investigating Rizvi's affairs, police claimed they had uncovered evidence that underworld money had financed his mercurial film career.· If the hearings uncover some incontrovertible evidence of corruption he could look like a defender of the indefensible.· We should remember this later when we uncover fairly grisly evidence for possible human sacrifice in the burial of mummies from Zaghunluq.· And other research groups have uncovered evidence of dyslexia-inducing mutations in genes on chromosomes two and 15.· Detectives have uncovered evidence that the rapist comes from a small but precise location within the city.
► fact· Such a check should uncover facts such as a past prison sentence or a person's credit status.
► minutes· Bring to the boil, stir once, and boil uncovered for 12 minutes.· Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 25 minutes.· Allow to rise uncovered for 30 minutes.· Simmer, uncovered, another 30 minutes.· Bake, uncovered, for 60 minutes.· Set aside, uncovered, for 15 minutes.· Place in the center of the oven and roast, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
► plot· They suggested Colonel Wong may have been detained because, as head of military intelligence, he failed to uncover the plot.· Whether Richard had really uncovered a Woodville plot against himself is doubtful.
► police· Pitch invasion foiled ... police uncover soccer hooligans' plan.· Read in studio Police have uncovered a murder victim's hidden life after a national television appeal for fresh information.· After investigating Rizvi's affairs, police claimed they had uncovered evidence that underworld money had financed his mercurial film career.· Under state law if police uncover clear signs of a domestic quarrel, including injuries, they have to bring charges.
► research· The research is to uncover and outline all the elements upon which multiple territorial entities could arise.· Thorough market research would have uncovered this.· And other research groups have uncovered evidence of dyslexia-inducing mutations in genes on chromosomes two and 15.· And even in the more familiar mode of verbal language, research has uncovered some interesting and illuminating aspects.
► ring· Police recently uncovered a ring that was selling crack through two girls living in the tiny town of Downs, population 620.
► truth· He promised Markov's widow his support in uncovering the truth about the killing.· It was claimed that her stories were not so innocent because she was using them to uncover some uncomfortable political truths.
WORD FAMILYnouncovercoveragecoveringadjectiveundercovercovered ≠ uncoveredverbcover ≠ uncoveradverbundercover
1to find out about something that has been kept secret → discover: Customs officials uncovered a plot to smuggle weapons into the country.2to remove the cover from something