under cover

1. Protected by a shelter, as in It began to pour but fortunately we were under cover . [c. 1400]

2. under cover of . Also, under the cover of . Hidden or protected by, as in They sneaked out under cover of darkness , or, as it was put in a sermon in 1751: “Presumption which loves to conceal itself under the cover of humility” (John Jortin, Sermons on Different Subjects ).

Example Sentences

Under cover of night, trucks have been regularly dumping rotten produce in an industrial neighborhood in downtown Los Angeles.

From Los Angeles Times

Greenpeace members, pretending to be drunk, smuggled a 120-pound replacement bearing onto the ship by disguising it as a load of beer, then sailed the boat out of the Spanish base at El Ferrol under cover of darkness.

From Slate

Under cover of darkness, a nocturnal creature emerges from a crate and takes its first tentative steps into a new life in the wild.

From BBC

In the meantime, the court maintained its freeze on further deportations under the Alien Enemies Act, prohibiting the government from attempting more summary deportations from Texas to El Salvador under cover of darkness.

From Slate

Rollercoasters based on Back to the Future, Jurassic Park and Minions are among the few rides that will not be under cover.

From BBC

Related Words

• confidentially www.thesaurus.com
• covertly 
• stealthily 
• surreptitiously