cover

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 the cost of a taxi.

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 pass or rise over and surmount or envelop: The river covered the town during the flood.

Insurance. to insure against risk or loss.

to serve as a defense for; shelter; protect.

Military.

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; encompass: 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.).

Finance. (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.

Music.

Sports. to guard (an opponent on offense) so as to prevent them from scoring or carrying out their assignment: They tried to to cover a potential pass receiver.

(especially of a male animal) to copulate with.

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

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, especially for the purpose of obscuring an existing covering or of achieving a desired thickness and evenness: This paint is much too thin to cover.

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 coating of snow, especially 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.

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.

to put a garment, esp a hat, on (the body or head)

to extend over or lie thickly on the surface of; spread: snow covered the fields

to bring upon (oneself); invest (oneself) as if with a covering: covered with shame

(sometimes foll by up) to act as a screen or concealment for; hide from view

military to protect (an individual, formation, or place) by taking up a position from which fire may be returned if those being protected are fired upon

(also intr, often foll by for) to assume responsibility for (a person or thing): to cover for a colleague in his absence

(intr; foll by for or up for) to provide an alibi (for)

to have as one's territory: this salesman covers your area

to travel over: to cover three miles a day

(tr) to have or place in the aim and within the range of (a firearm)

to include or deal with: his talk covered all aspects of the subject

(of an asset or income) to be sufficient to meet (a liability or expense)

(also intr) finance to purchase (securities, etc) in order to meet contracts, esp short sales

to deposit (an equivalent stake) in a bet or wager

(also intr) to play a card higher in rank than (one played beforehand by another player)

to act as reporter or photographer on (a news event, etc) for a newspaper or magazine: to cover sports events

sport to guard or protect (an opponent, team-mate, or area)

music to record a cover version of

(of a male animal, esp a horse) to copulate with (a female animal)

(of a bird) to brood (eggs)

finance liquid assets, reserves, or guaranteed income sufficient to discharge a liability, meet an expenditure, etc

a pretext, disguise, or false identity: the thief sold brushes as a cover

insurance another word for coverage (def. 3)

an envelope or package for sending through the post: under plain cover

philately

an individual table setting, esp in a restaurant

sport the guarding or protection of an opponent, team-mate, or area

Also called: cover version a version by a different artist of a previously recorded musical item

cricket

ecology the percentage of the ground surface covered by a given species of plant

break cover (esp of game animals) to come out from a shelter or hiding place

take cover to make for a place of safety or shelter

under cover protected, concealed, or in secret: under cover of night