covering fire

British

noun

military firing intended to protect an individual or formation making a movement by forcing the enemy to take cover

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

He was mentioned in dispatches after being shot while providing covering fire to allow two comrades to get to safety.

From BBC • Nov. 9, 2021

Swenson said he offered support, as well as covering fire.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 8, 2021

In another round, I placed a turret mine around the corner of a debris field, just in front of our frigate, providing covering fire that would hit enemy bombers in their blind spot.

From The Verge • Oct. 9, 2020

Our quickdraw renegade just keeps gun-slinging on Twitter, with plenty of covering fire from his trusty sidekick Piers, and lives to fight another day.

From The Guardian • Oct. 4, 2014

Marines sat in the bow of our launch to provide covering fire while we disembarked; which precaution seemed of little utility, for the docks were now empty of all enemies.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023