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.
That gives Warsh some cover for arguing the picture is more complicated than the overall numbers suggest.
From Barron's • May 14, 2026
The pensioner, from York, applied for a year's worth of cover for her Suzuki Splash car with Swinton Insurance, believing she was fully complying with the law.
From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026
Devdutt Padikkal added 61 from 26 balls and RCB captain Rajat Patidar 31 from 12, although England opener Phil Salt sliced a catch to cover for eight.
From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026
Do you think companies are using AI as a cover for layoffs?
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026
“Can you cover for me for a bit?”
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
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.
