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]
any action, stratagem, or other means of concealing or preventing investigation or exposure.
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.
(tr) to cover completely
to attempt to conceal (a mistake or crime)
she tried to cover up for her friend
(intr) boxing to defend the body and head with the arms
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]
Conceal something, especially a crime, as in The opposition accused the President of covering up his assistant's suicide . [c. 1920]
First recorded in 1925–30; noun use of verb phrase cover up
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
What started as an innocent mistake has ended up as a bad cover-up.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026
George Osborne, the museum's chair of trustees, told me it was a "pretty elaborate cover-up job".
From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026
Human rights activists and relatives of the missing quickly denounced the report as a cover-up — the latest attempt to “disappear the disappeared.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 6, 2026
It centred around the cover-up of a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in 1972.
From BBC ● Mar. 10, 2026
The truth was also coming out about Nixon’s cover-up of the Watergate break-in.
From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge
Sugar is often added to drinks for mouthfeel and to cover up the off-putting tastes of functional ingredients.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 11, 2026
Here’s another reason to cover up in the thick of tick season this summer: There is a bite that can leave you allergic to burgers, bacon and steak.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
The four pilot schemes, lasting up to a year, cover up to 100,000 appointments and are backed by £3m of funding.
From BBC ● May 20, 2026
Alliance sought a contempt order contending that the city was willfully obfuscating to cover up inadequate efforts to live up to its settlement.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2026
Since I lost my leg, I’ve wanted to cover up.
From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen
The families of victims of the Manchester Arena bombing say they cannot support the current form of a new law being designed to stop cover-ups.
From BBC ● Jan. 14, 2026
Can you lay out the lies and fabrications and cover-ups?
From Slate ● Nov. 14, 2025
These captured the world's imagination, attracting journalists from around the globe and leading to claims of conspiracies, cover-ups and cheap publicity stunts.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2025
In turn, Patel tweeted a pledge that “There will be no cover-ups, no missing documents.”
From Slate ● Jul. 15, 2025
That would ensure complaints and allegations of "mishandling, wrongdoing and cover-ups by police, agencies and other professionals and elected officials are brought to light and those responsible held accountable", the Home Office added.
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 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.
