cover-up
noun
any action, stratagem, or other means of concealing or preventing investigation or exposure.
cover-up
American
[kuhv-er-uhp]
/ ˈkʌv ərˌʌp /
noun
-
cover-ups
plural
-
any action, stratagem, or other means of concealing or preventing investigation or exposure.
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Also coverup any of various women's garments, as loose blouses, jump suits, caftans, or sarongs, worn over a swimsuit, exercise clothing, or the like.
cover-up
British
noun
verb
-
(tr) to cover completely
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to attempt to conceal (a mistake or crime)
she tried to cover up for her friend
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(intr) boxing to defend the body and head with the arms
cover up
Idioms
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Wrap up or enfold in order to protect. For example, Be sure to cover up the outdoor furniture in case of rain , or It's cold, so be sure to cover up the baby . [Late 1800s]
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Conceal something, especially a crime, as in The opposition accused the President of covering up his assistant's suicide . [c. 1920]
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of cover-up
First recorded in 1925–30; noun use of verb phrase cover up
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.
See Examples For:
"What is alarming is that he seems to have attempted a cover-up, dragging in officials and Transport Scotland," he said.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
Asymmetric said it could not determine whether the agents' cover-up was deliberate.
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
He spoke to Reed and the super PAC’s lawyer, Cleta Mitchell, and began to hatch a cover-up.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026
We went back and forth on what Anton says, what Paul Baker says, whether you hear us or not, whether it’s a balloon cover-up, whether we show the kiss.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026
Technically, no one was supposed to be living in the building, so the restaurant served as the perfect cover-up for all the people coming and going.
From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat
Szramowski was quick to try to cover up his tracks, according to the criminal complaint.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
They are the actions of a spoiled brat trying, and failing, to cover up the stench of losing.
From Salon ● Aug. 21, 2026
They also depicted him as a scapegoat whose prosecution was being used to cover up the Los Angeles Fire Department's failure to extinguish the initial fire.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
To critics, it is a system that will cover up weaknesses in some corners of the AI marketplace.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
“Well, they’re probably worrying about the first frost now and wondering if they should cover up their tomatoes,” my father said.
From "Homesick" by Jean Fritz
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has said she is confident disagreements with campaigners over a new law designed to stop cover-ups can be resolved before it returns to Parliament on Monday.
From BBC ● Jan. 18, 2026
The next stage of a new law being designed to stop cover-ups has been temporarily delayed after MPs raised concerns about whether it would apply fully to the security services.
From BBC ● Jan. 13, 2026
Can you lay out the lies and fabrications and cover-ups?
From Slate ● Nov. 14, 2025
In turn, Patel tweeted a pledge that “There will be no cover-ups, no missing documents.”
From Slate ● Jul. 15, 2025
Sussex Police is examining concerns about avoidable harm and cover-ups in the trust's neurosurgery and general surgery departments between 2015 and 2021.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2025
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.
