cover for
Idioms-
Also, cover up for . Conceal a wrongdoing or wrongdoer, as in Bill was supposed to be on duty but went to a ballgame and Alan agreed to cover for him or I covered up for my friend when her mother called to find out where she was . [1960s] Also see cover up , def. 2.
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Substitute for someone, act on someone's behalf, as in Mary was asked to cover for Joe while he was on jury duty . [c. 1970]
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cover for something . Provide protection against some hazard, as in This policy covers the house for fire but not for theft . This idiom employs the verb to cover in the sense of “protect” or “shield,” a usage dating from the 13th century.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
At his age, Welbeck may be content to provide cover for Joao Pedro, but the move would represent bad news for several other forwards.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
In Operation Mincemeat, the British planted a corpse with fake top-secret documents implying an Allied invasion of Greece and Sardinia to provide cover for their Sicily campaign.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
Aston Villa want a pacy winger, a striker, a midfielder and a right-back capable of providing cover for Ezri Konsa at centre-back.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
That gives Warsh some cover for arguing the picture is more complicated than the overall numbers suggest.
From Barron's ● May 14, 2026
“Exactly what are you going to tell Jeff that will make him cover for me?”
From "Ask the Passengers" by A.S. King
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
