cove

[ kohv ]

See synonyms for cove on Thesaurus.com

noun

a small indentation or recess in the shoreline of a sea, lake, or river.
a sheltered nook.

a hollow or recess in a mountain; cave; cavern.
a narrow pass between woods or hills.
a sheltered area between woods or hills.
Architecture.
- a concave surface or molding.
- a concave surface forming part of a ceiling at its edge so as to eliminate the usual interior angle between the wall and ceiling.

verb (used with or without object),coved, cov·ing.

to make or become a cove.

Origin of cove

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English cofa “cave, den, closet”; cognate with Old Norse kofi “hut,” Greek gýpē “cave”

Words that may be confused with cove

bay, cove , gulf, inlet

Other definitions for cove (2 of 2)

cove²

[ kohv ]

noun

British Slang. a person; fellow.
Australian Slang. a manager, especially of a sheep station.

Origin of cove

First recorded in 1560–70; of uncertain origin; perhaps from Romani kova “creature, thing, person”

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cove in a sentence

As at Hope Lodge a broad plaster coving is the principal feature of the simple cornice.
The Colonial Architecture of Philadelphia | Frank Cousins
He was even in debt for Coving's labor; overdrawn on it without enough money to pay.
The Big Tomorrow | Paul Lohrman
I think I shoud some marshas helen a pray the Drom and coving the collas out of the pub.
Gipsy Life | George Smith
He was talking to Coving as though they had years—not as though their time had run out.
The Big Tomorrow | Paul Lohrman
Rayburn Coving was probably the best rocket-fuel man in the world.
The Big Tomorrow | Paul Lohrman

British Dictionary definitions for cove (1 of 2)

cove¹

/ (kəʊv) /

noun

a small bay or inlet, usually between rocky headlands
a narrow cavern formed in the sides of cliffs, mountains, etc, usually by erosion

a sheltered place
Also called: coving architect a concave curved surface between the wall and ceiling of a room

verb

(tr) to form an architectural cove in

Origin of cove

Old English cofa; related to Old Norse kofi, Old High German kubisi tent

British Dictionary definitions for cove (2 of 2)

cove²

/ (kəʊv) /

noun

old-fashioned, slang, British and Australian a fellow; chap
Australian history an overseer of convict labourers

Origin of cove

C16: probably from Romany kova thing, person

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

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