Wrap up or enfold in order to protect. For example, Be sure to cover up the outdoor furniture in case of rain , or It's cold, so be sure to cover up the baby . [Late 1800s]
any action, stratagem, or other means of concealing or preventing investigation or exposure.
Also coverup any of various women's garments, as loose blouses, jump suits, caftans, or sarongs, worn over a swimsuit, exercise clothing, or the like.
(tr) to cover completely
to attempt to conceal (a mistake or crime)
she tried to cover up for her friend
(intr) boxing to defend the body and head with the arms
Wrap up or enfold in order to protect. For example, Be sure to cover up the outdoor furniture in case of rain , or It's cold, so be sure to cover up the baby . [Late 1800s]
Conceal something, especially a crime, as in The opposition accused the President of covering up his assistant's suicide . [c. 1920]
First recorded in 1925–30; noun use of verb phrase cover up
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
What started as an innocent mistake has ended up as a bad cover-up.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026
But moviegoers won’t soon forget her impressive turn, communicating the stakes of a massive cover-up that sought to prevent the knowledge of aliens walking among humanity for decades.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
She said: "It has played into the terrible narrative that there is something to hide and good, decent colleagues will be accused of being complicit in a cover-up."
From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026
Human rights activists and relatives of the missing quickly denounced the report as a cover-up — the latest attempt to “disappear the disappeared.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 6, 2026
Nixon’s cover-up was holding, but possibly not for long.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
One time out of a million the press might choose to lie or cover up the truth for what it considers higher reasons.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
Sugar is often added to drinks for mouthfeel and to cover up the off-putting tastes of functional ingredients.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 11, 2026
Here’s another reason to cover up in the thick of tick season this summer: There is a bite that can leave you allergic to burgers, bacon and steak.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
Some have even accused the American Fork City police of helping to cover up a crime, alleging they are working on behalf of Bricks & Minifigs.
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026
I bend down and heave the manhole cover up, then lower myself down the ladder and into the blackness.
From "Legend" by Marie Lu
His work as an MP partly led to the Hillsborough Law, which was passed last week and is intended to prevent cover-ups linked to failures of the state.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
Families bereaved by the Manchester Arena bombing say MI5 failed them and must be fully included in a new law designed to stop cover-ups in public life.
From BBC ● Jan. 5, 2026
Can you lay out the lies and fabrications and cover-ups?
From Slate ● Nov. 14, 2025
In turn, Patel tweeted a pledge that “There will be no cover-ups, no missing documents.”
From Slate ● Jul. 15, 2025
Sussex Police is examining concerns about avoidable harm and cover-ups in the trust's neurosurgery and general surgery departments between 2015 and 2021.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2025
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
