cover story
Americannoun
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a magazine article highlighted by an illustration on the cover.
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a fabricated story used to conceal a true purpose; alibi.
No one believed the cover story released to the press.
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A featured story in a magazine that concerns the illustration on the cover, as in The earthquake is this week's cover story for all the news magazines . [Mid-1900s]
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A false story intended to mislead or deceive; also, an alibi. For example, Their cover story while investigating local repair services was that they had just bought the house and were having problems, or The suspect gave the police some cover story about being held up . [Mid-1900s]
Etymology
Origin of cover story
First recorded in 1945–50
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.
If Spielberg’s earlier UFO movies gave us awe, comfort and catastrophe, this one feels like an encounter of a fourth kind: What happens when the cover story breaks?
From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2026
When revealing his diagnosis to the world, he said it reminded him of his decision to publicly come out as gay in 2013 in a front-page cover story for Sports Illustrated.
From BBC • May 13, 2026
In reality, it’s a cover story people use to dress up views — like advocating teen pregnancy — they can’t argue for directly in public.
From Salon • Apr. 20, 2026
But as Barron’s latest cover story noted, it’s way too early to write Sin City off.
From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026
On May 6, Eisenhower and his advisers doubled down on their cover story, as reporters in Washington began asking questions about Khrushchev's accusations.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
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.
