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.
“I cry a lot. I’m super sentimental and I’ve hated myself a lot for that,” Karol G revealed to Elle in her July cover story.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
The secret, he explained, is that mowing the lawn is a cover story.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
The research was featured as the cover story in Significance, the flagship magazine of the Royal Statistical Society and the American Statistical Association.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 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
It was a fine cover story, and Abel really was interested in painting.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
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.
