to be or serve as a covering for; extend over; rest on the surface of

Snow covered the fields.

to place something over or upon, as for protection, concealment, or warmth.

to provide with a covering or top

Cover the pot with a lid.

to protect or conceal (the body, head, etc.) with clothes, a hat, etc; wrap.

to bring upon (oneself)

He covered himself with glory by his exploits.

to hide from view; screen.

to spread on or over; apply to

to cover bread with honey.

to put all over the surface of

to cover a wall with paint.

to include, deal with, or provide for; address

The rules cover working conditions.

to suffice to defray or meet (a charge, expense, etc.)

Ten dollars should cover my expenses.

to offset (an outlay, loss, liability, etc.).

to achieve in distance traversed; pass or travel over

We covered 600 miles a day on our trip.

Journalism .

to act as a reporter or reviewer of (an event, a field of interest, a performance, etc.); have as an assignment

She covers sports for the paper.

to publish or broadcast a report or reports of (a news item, a series of related events, etc.)

The press covered the trial in great detail.

to pass or rise over and surmount or envelop

The river covered the town during the flood.

Insurance . to insure against risk or loss.

to shelter; protect; serve as a defense for.

Military .

to be in line with by occupying a position directly before or behind.

to protect (a soldier, force, or military position) during an expected period of ground combat by taking a position from which any hostile troops can be fired upon.

to take temporary charge of or responsibility for in place of another

Please cover my phone while I'm out to lunch.

to extend over; comprise

The book covers 18th-century England.

to be assigned to or responsible for, as a territory or field of endeavor

We have two sales representatives covering the Southwest.

to aim at, as with a pistol.

to have within range, as a fortress does adjacent territory.

to play a card higher than (the one led or previously played in the round).

to deposit the equivalent of (money deposited), as in wagering.

to accept the conditions of (a bet, wager, etc.).

(in short selling) to purchase securities or commodities in order to deliver them to the broker from whom they were borrowed.

Baseball . to take a position close to or at (a base) so as to catch a ball thrown to the base

The shortstop covered second on the attempted steal.

Sports . to guard (an opponent on offense) so as to prevent him or her from scoring or carrying out his or her assignment

to cover a potential pass receiver.

(esp. of a male animal) to copulate with.

(of a hen) to brood or sit on (eggs or chicks).

Informal . to serve as a substitute for someone who is absent

We cover for the receptionist during lunch hour.

to hide the wrongful or embarrassing action of another by providing an alibi or acting in the other's place

They covered for him when he missed roll call.

to play a card higher than the one led or previously played in the round

She led the eight and I covered with the jack.

to spread over an area or surface, esp. for the purpose of obscuring an existing covering or of achieving a desired thickness and evenness

This paint is much too thin to cover.

something that covers, as the lid of a container or the binding of a book.

a blanket, quilt, or the like

Put another cover on the bed.

protection; shelter; concealment.

anything that veils, screens, or shuts from sight

under cover of darkness.

woods, underbrush, etc., serving to shelter and conceal wild animals or game; a covert.

Ecology . vegetation that serves to protect or conceal animals, such as birds, from excessive sunlight, from drying, or from predators.

a set of eating utensils and the like, as plate, knife, fork, and napkin, placed for each person at a table.

an assumed identity, occupation, or business that masks the true or real one

His job at the embassy was a cover for his work as a spy.

a covering of snow, esp. when suitable for skiing.

a pretense; feigning.

a person who substitutes for another or stands ready to substitute if needed

She was hired as a cover for six roles at the opera house.

cover charge.

Philately .

an envelope or outer wrapping for mail.

a letter folded so that the address may be placed on the outside and the missive mailed.

Finance . funds to cover liability or secure against risk of loss.

Music . cover version.

Also called covering. Mathematics . a collection of sets having the property that a given set is contained in the union of the sets in the collection. ?

cover up,

to cover completely; enfold.

to keep secret; conceal

She tried to cover up her part in the plot.

blow one's cover, to divulge one's secret identity

esp. inadvertently

The TV news story blew his carefully fabricated cover.

break cover, to emerge, esp. suddenly

from a place of concealment

The fox broke cover and the chase was on.

cover one's ass

Slang

Vulgar to take measures that will prevent one from suffering blame, loss, harm, etc.

take cover

to seek shelter or safety

The hikers took cover in a deserted cabin to escape the sudden storm.

under cover

clandestinely; secretly

Arrangements for the escape were made under cover.

within an envelope

The report will be mailed to you under separate cover.

verb

lay bare , lay out , reveal , uncover , unwrap , abandon , disregard , forget , ignore , leave alone , exclude

noun

awning , bark , binding , camouflage , canopy , canvas , cap , caparison , case , ceiling , cloak , clothing , coating , covering , coverlet , disguise , dome , dress , drop , envelope , facade , false front * , fig leaf , front , guise , hood , integument , jacket , lid , marquee , mask , masquerade , overlay , paint , parasol , polish , pretense , put-on , roof , screen , seal , semblance , sheath , sheet , shroud , smoke screen * , spread , stopper , tarp , tarpaulin , tegument , tent , top , umbrella , varnish , veil , veneer , window-dressing , wrapper , wraps , asylum , concealment , covert , defense , guard , harbor , harborage , haven , port , protection , refuge , retreat , safety , sanctuary , security , shelter , color , coloring , disguisement , face , false colors , gloss , pretext , show , bush , capsule , casing , cloisters , cope , cortex , counterpane , jungle , mantle , operculum , pall , pallium , plate , quilt , safeguard , superimposition , tilt , underbrush , undergrowth , underwood

verb

blanket , board up , bury , bush up , cache , camouflage , canopy , cap , carpet , cloak , clothe , coat , conceal , cover up , crown , curtain , daub , disguise , do on the sly , dress , eclipse , encase , enclose , enfold , ensconce , enshroud , envelop , hood , house , invest , layer , mantle , mask , obscure , overcast , overlay , overspread , protect , put on , screen , secrete , set on , shade , shield , shroud , stash , superimpose , superpose , surface , veil , bulwark , defend , fend , reinforce , safeguard , secure , shelter , watch over , be enough , comprehend , comprise , consider , deal with , embody , embrace , encompass , examine , incorporate , involve , meet , provide for , reach , refer to , suffice , survey , take account of , broadcast , detail , investigate , narrate , recount , relate , report , tell of , write up , balance , counterbalance , double for , insure , make good , make up for , offset , relieve , stand in for , substitute , take over , take the rap for , cross , do , journey over , pass over , pass through , range , track , traverse , trek , hide , hush , clad , sheathe , side , skin , spread , make , copulate with , drape , hatch , laminate , lid , obnubilate , overlie , pave , roof , sanctuary , serve , span , tegmen , thatch , whitewash , wrap