Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

take cover

Idioms  

  1. 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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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

From Slate • Feb. 23, 2026

"I thought they were going to kidnap us. I ran to a taco stand to take cover with the people there," Medina told AFP.

From Barron's • Feb. 22, 2026

The Skala Regiment shares recent videos taken by their troops on the front line - often having to take cover in buildings from Russian drones.

From BBC • Dec. 9, 2025

Huang, 38, has discussed with her children how to handle various emergencies, including what to do if they run out of food and water in the mountains, and where to take cover during an earthquake.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 5, 2025

After that, he walked along the road’s edge, sure that when another patrol went by, he’d have enough warning to take cover.

From "Pax" by Sara Pennypacker

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.