take cover

Idioms

Seek protection, find a hiding place, as in It started to pour so we took cover under the trees, or He wanted to avoid the reporters so we said he could take cover in our summer cottage. This term uses cover in the sense of “shelter” or “concealment,” a usage dating from the 1400s.

Example Sentences

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take cover

Guests, including journalists, administration officials, and cabinet members, were instructed to take cover, with many ducking under tables as exits were secured.

From Salon ● Apr. 25, 2026

"The players and staff fled into nearby bushes to take cover."

From BBC ● Apr. 13, 2026

The US embassy in Oman told its staff and citizen to take cover due to "activity outside Muscat", though it was not immediately clear what that activity was.

From Barron's ● Mar. 1, 2026

Broadcast-news anchors, in full glam, take cover under listing canopies, patiently awaiting their next hit.

From Slate ● Feb. 23, 2026

One million people walking in the streets on their way to work looked up into the sky and saw the monster hovering above them, and started running for the nearest subway entrance to take cover.

From "James and the Giant Peach" by Roald Dahl

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

take cover

Example Sentences

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