coverage

American  

[kuhv-er-ij, kuhv-rij] / ˈkʌv ər ɪdʒ, ˈkʌv rɪdʒ /

noun

1. Insurance. protection provided against risks or a risk, often as specified.

   Does the coverage include flood damage?

2. Journalism. the reporting and subsequent publishing or broadcasting of news.

   The World Series receives international coverage.

3. the extent to which something is covered.

4. the area, groups, or number of persons served or reached by a newspaper, radio or television station, advertising campaign, business, etc.; market.

5. Radio and Television. the area within the broadcasting range of a station or network, usually calculated by the number of owners of radio or television receivers.

6. Finance. the value of funds held to back up or meet liabilities.

7. Photography. covering power.

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coverage British  

/ ˈkʌvərɪdʒ /

noun

1. the amount or extent to which something is covered

2. journalism the amount and quality of reporting or analysis given to a particular subject or event

3. the extent of the protection provided by insurance

4. finance

   1. the value of liquid assets reserved to meet liabilities

   2. the ratio of liquid assets to specific liabilities

   3. the ratio of total net profit to distributed profit in a company

5. the section of the public reached by a medium of communication

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Etymology

Origin of coverage

An Americanism dating back to 1910–15; cover + -age

Explanation

Use the noun coverage to talk about how much something is covered or included. If your history book's coverage of the Civil War is skimpy, you might want to do some extra research at the library. There's the TV news coverage of the winter Olympics — in other words, the way they show and comment on the events — and the spotty coverage of your lawn by the grass you planted. Something is covered in both examples, either literally or figuratively, and it's more common to use coverage in a figurative way. There's also insurance coverage, or the extent of protection it provides: "I have the cheapest car insurance coverage, so it won't pay to fix these dents."

Example Sentences

An all-star cast of pundits will join BBC Sport's television coverage of the tournament from Salford, while reporters on the ground in the United States, Canada and Mexico will bring the latest stories.

From BBC • May 18, 2026

Bank of America also reinstated coverage of Salesforce with an Underperform rating and $160 price target based on a structural reset driven by the AI transition.

From Barron's • May 18, 2026

WSJ | Buy Side: We examined no-exam life insurance coverage caps, costs and complaints to find the best options.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026

Powering today’s rally is a renewed sense of optimism from Wall Street, with Bank of America analyst Tal Liani reinstating coverage of the stock on Monday with a buy rating and a $130 price target.

From MarketWatch • May 18, 2026

“Not this minute, but probably soon. This story is on fire—it’s wall-to-wall coverage on every channel and news site. People are in the streets. They’ll have to move fast. For now Mobius is on lockdown.”

From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed

Related Words

• analysis
• insurance
• report