cover

verb

/ˈkʌvə(r)/

/ˈkʌvər/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they cover	/ˈkʌvə(r)/ /ˈkʌvər/
he / she / it covers	/ˈkʌvəz/ /ˈkʌvərz/
past simple covered	/ˈkʌvəd/ /ˈkʌvərd/
past participle covered	/ˈkʌvəd/ /ˈkʌvərd/
-ing form covering	/ˈkʌvərɪŋ/ /ˈkʌvərɪŋ/

Idioms Phrasal Verbs

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hide/protect

[transitive] to place something over or in front of something in order to hide, protect or decorate it

cover something with something Cover the chicken loosely with foil.
She covered her face with her hands.
cover something I covered my mouth to stifle a yawn.
(figurative) He laughed to cover (= hide) his nervousness.

Synonyms hidehide

conceal
cover
disguise
mask
camouflage

These words all mean to put or keep somebody/something in a place where they/it cannot be seen or found, or to keep the truth or your feelings secret.

hide
to put or keep somebody/something in a place where they/it cannot be seen or found; to keep something secret, especially your feelings:
- He hid the letter in a drawer.
- She managed to hide her disappointment.
conceal
(formal) to hide somebody/something; to keep something secret:
- The paintings were concealed beneath a thick layer of plaster.
- Tim could barely conceal his disappointment.
When it is being used to talk about emotions, conceal is often used in negative statements.
cover
to place something over or in front of something in order to hide it:
- She covered her face with her hands.
disguise
to hide or change the nature of something, so that it cannot be recognized:
- He tried to disguise his accent.
mask
to hide a feeling, smell, fact, etc. so that it cannot be easily seen or noticed:
- She masked her anger with a smile.
camouflage
to hide somebody/something by making them/it look like the things around, or like something else:
- The soldiers camouflaged themselves with leaves and twigs.

Patterns

to hide/conceal/disguise/mask something behind something
to hide/conceal something under something
to hide/conceal something from somebody
to hide/conceal/disguise/mask the truth/the fact that…
to hide/conceal/disguise/mask your feelings

Extra Examples

He covered the body with a cloth.
He tried to cover his embarrassment by starting to rub his hands together.
Her dress barely covered her chest.
Her hair partially covered her face.
She tried to cover her face with her hands.
She used dried leaves and twigs to cover up the hole.
He laughed to cover his embarrassment.

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb

completely
entirely
loosely
…

verb + cover

try to
use something to

preposition

with

See full entry

spread over surface

[transitive] to lie or spread over the surface of something

cover something Snow covered the ground.
Much of the country is covered by forest.
be covered with something Its head, body, and tail are completely covered with brown fur.
be covered in something His chest was covered in bruises.

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb

completely

preposition

in
with

See full entry

[transitive] to put or spread a layer of liquid, dust, etc. on somebody/something

cover somebody/something with something The wind blew in from the desert and covered everything with sand.
cover somebody/something in something Soak the dried mushrooms by covering them in boiling water for a few minutes.
be covered with something The steps were now completely covered with water.
be covered in something The players were soon covered in mud.

Extra Examples

The cars were all covered in snow.
The children were completely covered with mud.

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb

completely

preposition

in
with

See full entry

include

[transitive] cover something to include something; to deal with something

The lectures covered a lot of ground (= a lot of material, subjects, etc.).
The survey covers all aspects of the business.
The articles cover a wide range of subjects.
Each podcast covers a different topic.
the sales team covering the northern part of the country (= selling to people in that area)
Do the rules cover (= do they apply to) a case like this?
Don't worry. I've got it covered (= I'm dealing with it).

Extra Examples

The tax may be extended to cover books.
We've hardly covered a quarter of the course.
He manages the sales team covering the northern part of the country.

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb

barely
hardly

verb + cover

help (to)
be intended to
be extended to
…

See full entry

money

[transitive] cover something to be or provide enough money for something

$100 should cover your expenses.
The show barely covered its costs.
Your parents will have to cover your tuition fees.

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb

barely
hardly

verb + cover

help (to)
be intended to
be extended to
…

See full entry

distance/area

[transitive] cover something to travel the distance mentioned

By sunset we had covered thirty miles.
They walked for a long time and covered a good deal of ground.

Extra Examples

He covered the journey at top speed.
They covered long distances on foot.
We must have covered over 20 miles.
I covered a lot of ground rapidly and soon caught up with them.

[transitive] cover something to spread over the area mentioned

The reserve covers an area of some 1 140 square kilometres.

report news

[transitive] cover something to report on an event for television, a newspaper, etc.; to show an event on television

She's covering the party's annual conference.
The BBC will cover all the major games of the tournament.
The media has consistently refused to cover the story.

Topics TV, radio and newsb2

for somebody

[intransitive] cover for somebody to do somebody’s work or duties while they are away

I'm covering for Jane while she's on leave.

[intransitive] cover for somebody to invent a lie or an excuse that will stop somebody from getting into trouble

I have to go out for a minute—will you cover for me if anyone asks where I am?

with insurance

[transitive] to protect somebody against loss, injury, etc. by insurance

cover somebody/something (against/for something) Are you fully covered for fire and theft?
cover somebody/something to do something Does this policy cover my husband to drive?

Extra Examples

This policy should cover you against accidental injury.
a policy that covers you for fire and theft

Oxford Collocations Dictionarypreposition

against
for

See full entry

against blame

[transitive] cover yourself (against something) to take action in order to protect yourself against being blamed for something

Many firms put money aside to cover themselves against possible legal claims.

with gun

[transitive] cover somebody to protect somebody by threatening to shoot at anyone who tries to attack them

Cover me while I move forward.
The artillery gave us covering fire (= shot to protect us).

[transitive] cover somebody/something to aim a gun at a place or person so that nobody can escape or shoot

The police covered the exits to the building.
Don't move—we've got you covered!

song

[transitive] cover something to record a new version of a song that was originally recorded by another band or singer

They've covered an old Rolling Stones number.

Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French covrir, from Latin cooperire, from co- (expressing intensive force) + operire ‘to cover’. The noun is partly a variant of covert.

Idioms

cover all the bases

to consider and deal with all the things that could happen or could be needed when you are arranging something
- I am confident this contract covers all the bases.

cover your back (informal)

(North American English also cover your ass taboo, slang)

to realize that you may be blamed or criticized for something later and take action to avoid this
- Get everything in writing in order to cover your back.

cover/hide a multitude of sins

(often humorous) to hide the real situation or facts when these are not good or pleasant
- She was dressed in loose comfortable clothes that hid a multitude of sins.

cover your tracks

to try and hide what you have done, because you do not want other people to find out about it
- He had attempted to cover his tracks by making her death appear like suicide.

cover

noun

/ˈkʌvə(r)/

/ˈkʌvər/

Idioms

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protection/shelter

enlarge image

[countable] a thing that is put over or on another thing, usually to protect it or to decorate it

Brighten up your room with some colourful cushion covers.
cover for something a plastic waterproof cover for the pushchair

see also dust cover, first-day cover, loose cover

Extra Examples

He held his nose as he lifted the cover of the bin.
a cover for the swimming pool
a sofa with a loose cover
He lifted the manhole cover.
She put on a clean duvet cover.
The buggy had a plastic waterproof cover.

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

protective
removable
reversible
…

verb + cover

put on
replace
lift
…

preposition

cover for

See full entry

[uncountable] shelter from bad weather or protection from an attack

for cover Everyone ran for cover when it started to rain.
After the explosion the street was full of people running for cover.
The climbers took cover from the storm in a cave.

Extra Examples

We ran for cover as it started to rain.
They sought cover from the wind.

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

verb + cover

dive for
run for
take
…

preposition

under cover
under cover of
cover from
…

See full entry

of book

[countable] the outside of a book or a magazine

the front/back cover
His photographs grace many book and magazine covers.
on the cover Her face was on the cover (= the front cover) of every magazine.
He always reads the paper from cover to cover (= everything in it).
Have you seen the cover of the latest issue?

Extra Examples

There's a picture of the author on the back cover.
Her image has graced the covers of many glossy magazines.
The author only gets 1% of the cover price.

Topics Literature and writingb1

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

back
front
hard
…

verb + cover

adorn
grace
design
…

cover + noun

illustration
image
photo
…

preposition

on a/the cover

See full entry

insurance

(British English)

(North American English coverage)

[uncountable] protection that an insurance company provides by promising to pay you money if a particular event happens

accident cover
cover against something cover against accidental damage
cover for something There is no cover provided by the policy for theft of property from cars or garages.
private health cover costs

Wordfinder

actuary
annuity
cover
excess
insurance
no-claims bonus
policy
premium
risk
underwrite

Extra Examples

This company provides wider cover.
cover for contents

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

comprehensive
full
wide
…

verb + cover

have
give somebody
provide (somebody with)
…

preposition

cover against
cover for

See full entry

with weapons

[uncountable] support and protection that is provided when somebody is attacking or in danger of being attacked

The ships needed air cover (= protection by military planes) once they reached enemy waters.
The RAF provided air cover for the attack.

Topics War and conflictc1

trees/plants

[uncountable] trees and plants that grow on an area of land

The total forest cover of the earth is decreasing.
Zebras and other animals were standing very still in broken cover.

cloud/snow

[uncountable] the fact of the sky being covered with cloud or the ground with snow

Fog and low cloud cover are expected this afternoon.
In this area there is snow cover for six months of the year.

Extra Examples

We descended into Heathrow through thick cloud cover.
a thick cover of snow

Topics Weatherc1

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

dense
thick
cloud
…

See full entry

on bed

the covers

[plural] the sheets, blankets, etc. on a bed

She threw back the covers and leapt out of bed.
He climbed into the cold bed and snuggled beneath the covers.
He pulled the covers over his head and tried to get back to sleep.

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

bed
thick
warm
…

verb + the covers

get under
pull up
fling off
…

preposition

under the cover

phrases

pull the covers over your head

See full entry

song

[countable]

(also cover version)

a new recording of an old song by a different band or singer

They started out singing covers of country songs.
a Beatles cover band (= a band that plays songs originally recorded by the Beatles)

hiding something

[countable, usually singular] cover (for something) activities or behaviour that seem honest or true but that hide somebody’s real identity or feelings, or that hide something illegal

His work as a civil servant was a cover for his activities as a spy.
Her over-confident attitude was a cover for her nervousness.
It would only take one phone call to blow their cover (= make known their true identities and what they were really doing).

Extra Examples

spies operating under diplomatic cover
The club is a cover for various criminal activities.
He realized his cover had been blown.

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

perfect
diplomatic
official
…

verb + cover

blow

cover + noun

story

preposition

cover for

See full entry

for somebody’s work

[uncountable] the fact of somebody doing a job when the person who usually does it is away or when there are not enough staff

It's the manager's job to organize cover for staff who are absent.
Ambulance drivers provided only emergency cover during the dispute.

Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French covrir, from Latin cooperire, from co- (expressing intensive force) + operire ‘to cover’. The noun is partly a variant of covert.

Idioms

break cover

to leave a place that you have been hiding in, usually at a high speed
- The vehicles broke cover and headed towards the enemy’s headquarters.
- The deer broke cover as the hunters approached.

don’t judge a book by its cover

(saying) used to say that you should not form an opinion about somebody/something from their appearance onlyTopics Opinion and argumentc1

under cover

pretending to be somebody else in order to do something secretly
- a police officer working under cover
under a structure that gives protection from the weather
- Start growing the plants indoors or under cover.
- All the seats are under cover.

under (the) cover of something

hidden or protected by something
- Later, under cover of darkness, they crept into the house.
- We attacked at night, under cover of darkness.

under separate cover

(business) in a separate envelope
- The information you requested is being forwarded to you under separate cover.