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.
Now she is on a higher income she is happy to cover for the others sometimes.
From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026
That gives Warsh some cover for arguing the picture is more complicated than the overall numbers suggest.
From Barron's ● May 14, 2026
Some insiders said the arrangements provide cover for prohibited pay-for-play payments to transfers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 10, 2026
This offers some short-term cover for management to show an improvement in organic growth prospects in the wealth business, RBC says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
“Look, we need to get to the bottom of all this. If neither of us are in that parlor, they’re going to come looking. I’ll cover for you as long as I can.”
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
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.
