cover
verb/ˈkʌvə(r)/
/ˈkʌvər/
Verb Forms
Idioms Phrasal Verbs| 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/ |
- [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.
Extra Examples- He tried to cover his embarrassment by starting to rub his hands together.
- 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.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- completely
- entirely
- loosely
- …
- try to
- use something to
- with
Definitions on the go
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- [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
- in
- with
- [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
- in
- with
- [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.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- barely
- hardly
- help (to)
- be intended to
- be extended to
- …
- [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
- help (to)
- be intended to
- be extended to
- …
- [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.
- [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.
- [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?
- [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
- [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.
- [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!
- [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.
hide/protect
spread over surface
include
money
distance/area
report news
for somebody
with insurance
against blame
with gun
song
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
See cover in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee cover in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishcover 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 offensive, 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 wiping the hard disk on his computer.
Check pronunciation:
cover