a covering that serves to conceal or shelter something;"a screen of trees afforded privacy" "under cover of darkness" "the brush provided a covert for game" "the simplest concealment is to match perfectly the color of the background"
bedding that keeps a person warm in bed;"he pulled the covers over his head and went to sleep"
the act of concealing the existence of something by obstructing the view of it;"the cover concealed their guns from enemy aircraft"
the protective covering on the front, back, and spine of a book;"the book had a leather binding"
a natural object that covers or envelops;"under a covering of dust" "the fox was flushed from its cover"
covering for a hole (especially a hole in the top of a container);"he removed the top of the carton" "he couldn"t get the top off of the bottle" "put the cover back on the kettle"
fire that makes it difficult for the enemy to fire on your own individuals or formations;"artillery provided covering fire for the withdrawal"
a fixed charge by a restaurant or nightclub over and above the charge for food and drink
a recording of a song that was first recorded or made popular by somebody else;"they made a cover of a Beatles" song"
a false identity and background (especially one created for an undercover agent);"her new name and passport are cover for her next assignment"
Verb:
provide with a covering or cause to be covered;"cover her face with a handkerchief" "cover the child with a blanket" "cover the grave with flowers"
form a cover over;"The grass covered the grave"
span an interval of distance, space or time;"The war extended over five years" "The period covered the turn of the century" "My land extends over the hills on the horizon" "This farm covers some 200 acres" "The Archipelago continues for another 500 miles"
provide for;"The grant doesn"t cover my salary"
act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression;"This book deals with incest" "The course covered all of Western Civilization" "The new book treats the history of China"
include in scope; include as part of something broader; have as one"s sphere or territory;"This group encompasses a wide range of people from different backgrounds" "this should cover everyone in the group"
travel across or pass over;"The caravan covered almost 100 miles each day"
be responsible for reporting the details of, as in journalism;"Snow reported on China in the 1950"s" "The cub reporter covered New York City"
hold within range of an aimed firearm
to take an action to protect against future problems;"Count the cash in the drawer twice just to cover yourself"
hide from view or knowledge;"The President covered the fact that he bugged the offices in the White House"
protect or defend (a position in a game);"he covered left field"
maintain a check on; especially by patrolling;"The second officer covered the top floor"
protect by insurance;"The insurance won"t cover this"
make up for shortcomings or a feeling of inferiority by exaggerating good qualities;"he is compensating for being a bad father"
invest with a large or excessive amount of something;"She covered herself with glory"
help out by taking someone"s place and temporarily assuming his responsibilities;"She is covering for our secretary who is ill this week"
be sufficient to meet, defray, or offset the charge or cost of;"Is this enough to cover the check?"
spread over a surface to conceal or protect;"This paint covers well"
cover as if with a shroud;"The origins of this civilization are shrouded in mystery"
copulate with a female, used especially of horses;"The horse covers the mare"
put something on top of something else;"cover the meat with a lot of gravy"
play a higher card than the one previously played;"Smith covered again"
be responsible for guarding an opponent in a game
sit on (eggs);"Birds brood" "The female covers the eggs"
clothe, as if for protection from the elements;"cover your head!"
cover: [13] Cover comes ultimately from Latin cooperīre, a compound verb formed from the intensive prefix com- ‘completely’ and operīre ‘cover’ (a relative of aperīre ‘open’, from which English gets aperient). It passed into English via Old French cuvrir or covrir. Derivatives include coverlet [13] (in which the final element represents not the diminutive suffix but French lit ‘bed’, the word being a borrowing from Anglo-Norman covrelit, literally ‘bed-cover’) and kerchief (literally ‘head-cover’), as in handkerchief. => aperient, discover
cover (v.)
mid-12c., from Old French covrir (12c., Modern French couvrir) "to cover, protect, conceal, dissemble," from Late Latin coperire, from Latin cooperire "to cover over, overwhelm, bury," from com-, intensive prefix (see com-), + operire "to close, cover" (see weir). Related: Covered; covering. Military sense is from 1680s; newspaper sense first recorded 1893; use in football dates from 1907. Betting sense is 1857. Of horses, as a euphemism for "copulate" it dates from 1530s. Covered wagon attested from 1745.
cover (n.)
early 13c., in compounds, from cover (v.). Meaning "recording of a song already recorded by another" is 1966. Cover girl is U.S. slang from 1915, shortening of magazine-cover girl.
