covert

[koh-vert, kuhv-ert, kuhv-ert, koh-vert]

adjective

1. concealed or disguised; secret: covert behavior.

   covert intelligence operations;

   covert behavior.

   Synonyms: furtive, surreptitious, clandestine

2. covered; sheltered.

3. Law.,  (of a wife) under the protection of one's husband.

noun

1. a covering; cover.

2. a shelter or hiding place.

3. concealment or disguise.

4. Hunting.,  a thicket giving shelter to wild animals or game.

5. Also called tectrix. Ornithology.,  one of the small feathers that cover the bases of the large feathers of the wings and tail.

6. covert cloth.

covert

/ ˈkʌvət /

adjective

1. concealed or secret

   covert jealousy

2. law Compare feme covert discovert

noun

1. a shelter or disguise

2. a thicket or woodland providing shelter for game

3. short for covert cloth

4. ornithol any of the small feathers on the wings and tail of a bird that surround the bases of the larger feathers

5. a flock of coots

Pronunciation Note

Covert, related to cover, has historically been pronounced , with , the same stressed vowel found in cover. This is the traditional and unchallenged vowel in many other English words spelled with stressed o followed by v, voiced th, or a nasal in the same syllable, words of high frequency like love and above, mother and other, some and honey. The adjective covert, however, by analogy with overt , its semantic opposite, has developed the pronunciation , perhaps because of the frequent coupling of the two terms in the news media. This is now the more common pronunciation for the adjective in American English, though not in British English, which retains the historical pronunciation. For the noun senses, less likely to appear in the news or to be contrasted with overt and its sound, the historical remains the more frequent pronunciation.

Other Word Forms

• covertly adverb
• covertness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of covert¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French, from Latin coopertus, past participle of cooperīre “to cover completely”; cover

Word History and Origins

Origin of covert¹

C14: from Old French: covered, from covrir to _cover

Example Sentences

The acknowledgement of covert action in Venezuela by the U.S. spy agency comes after the U.S. military in recent weeks has carried out a series of deadly strikes against alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

He also confirmed that he had authorised the CIA to carry out covert operations inside Venezuela.

Read more on BBC

"We're diving deeper with covert tactics to identify these people and root them out," Sir Mark said.

Read more on BBC

The CIA has a long history of engaging in covert action in Latin America, including operations that backed regime change in Guatemala, Chile and Nicaragua.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Then in August, the Danish government summoned the top U.S. envoy to Denmark over a suspected U.S. covert influence campaign on the island.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• hidden 
• surreptitious 
• undercover