Word family noun cover coverage covering adjective undercover covered ≠ uncovered verb cover ≠ uncover adverb undercover
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcovercov‧er1 /ˈkʌvə $ -ər/ ●●● S1 W1 verb [transitive] 1 hide/protect (also cover up)COVER to put something over or be over something in order to hide, close, or protect it Cover the pot and bake for an hour. She wore a low-cut dress, partly covered by a thin shawl.cover something with something Dan covered his face with his hands.2 layer if something covers a surface, it forms a layer over it Grey mould covered the walls. Much of the country is covered by snow.cover something with/in something The bulletin board was covered with messages. The eruption of the volcano covered states as far away as Montana in a fine layer of ash.3 DEAL WITH/INCLUDEinclude to include or deal with a particular subject or group of things a course covering business law Are there any areas you feel are not covered adequately in the book? ‘Exercise’ is a word which covers a vast range of activities. We need more time to cover so much ground (=include so many things). pollutants that are not covered by the Kyoto agreement4 distanceTRAVEL to travel a particular distance They were hoping to cover 40 miles yesterday. A leopard can cover a lot of ground very quickly.5 areaCOVER to spread over an area The city covers 25 square miles. 6 newsTCREPORT to report the details of an event for a newspaper or a television or radio programme I’d just returned from covering the Cambodian war.7 moneyENOUGH if a sum of money covers the cost of something, it is enough to pay for it The award should be enough to cover her tuition fees. Airlines are raising fares to cover the rising costs of fuel.8 insuranceBFI if your insurance covers you or your possessions, it promises to pay you money if you have an accident, something is stolen etc Most policies cover accidental damage to pipes. The treatment wasn’t covered by her health care insurance.cover somebody against/for something Are we covered for theft?cover somebody to do something He thought he was covered to drive the vehicle.9 guns a) PROTECTSHOOTto protect someone by being ready to shoot anyone who attacks them I’ll make for the door – cover me, will you? b) SHOOTto aim a gun at a person or a place where people might be, in order to prevent them from moving or escaping He stepped into the doorway and swung the gun up to cover the corridor.10 sportDS to stay close to a member of the opposing team or a part of the field in order to prevent your opponents from gaining points 11 music to perform or record a song that was originally recorded by another artist They’ve covered several hits from the 1980s.12 → cover (all) the bases13 → cover yourself (against something)14 → cover your tracksTHESAURUScover (also cover up) to put something over, on, or around something else, to hide it, protect it, or improve its appearanceCover the dough, and leave it to rise.She wears a lot of make-up to cover her spots.put something over something to put a cloth, blanket etc loosely over the top of something in order to cover itThey gave him a blanket to put over his legs.wrap (also wrap up) to put paper, plastic, cloth etc tightly around something in order to protect, decorate, or post itI haven’t wrapped her birthday present yet.envelop literary to surround something completely so that it is difficult to see – used especially about darkness, smoke, and cloudsAt sunset, darkness enveloped the town.be shrouded in mist/darkness/smoke etc literary to be covered and hidden in mist, smoke etcThe mountains were shrouded in mist. → cover for somebody → cover something ↔ over → cover up→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
cover• A flight from Los Angeles to New York covers 2459 miles.• In one twenty-five day period, he covered 800 miles.• He was about fifty, with strands of fair hair covering a receding hair line.• Most health insurers don't cover any surgery that is done for cosmetic reasons.• Kennedy is one of the combatants in the Congressional struggle to reform federal law covering both illegal and legal immigrants.• The legislation was felt to be a success, for in 1898 the types of crimes covered by it were expanded.• A 32-page supplement covers European culture and lifestyle.• The Ideal Home Decorating School gives you details of exclusive readers' courses that cover everything from paint effects to dried flowers.• Michael Putzel now covers foreign affairs from Washington.• Embarrassed, she reached for a towel to cover her body.• Mrs. Moss said the robber covered her with the machine gun and told her to open her door.• Perseus covered his eyes with his free hand.• The book covers more than 70 local small breweries and gives all the pertinent data for each.• The sections cover news writing, feature writing, interviewing, editing and newsletter production.• Posters of Elvis covered practically the whole wall.• Porter, who was covering Rice, was called for a foul.• $29.90 a month covers the cost of all your insurance.• He pulled back a corner of the blanket that covered the dead body.• It took him three days to cover the distance from Laingsbury to Albertsville.• Plaster can be used to cover the holes.• Add salt and pepper, cover the pan, and let cook for 10-15 minutes.• He was sent to Northern Ireland to cover the peace talks.• His book on European history covers the period from 1914 to 2001.• As you can see from the weather map, huge rain clouds are completely covering the South East.• Not overstretching by trying to cover too wide a range of applications simultaneously is also important.• a magazine covering women's issues• Don't worry, I've got enough to cover your ticket.cover something with something• We covered the sofa with a large blanket.cover ... ground• He is also an artist who covered enormous ground.• In emphasising the place which the child played in his own learning process, Plowden was not covering new ground.• It had been going on since 1963 and was continued despite the fact that dead trees proved to be very effective cover.• It covers such ground as Education, Sexuality, Population and Possessions, using various statistics and polls.• Of course it requires skill in curriculum organization to cover the necessary ground, for example by use of modular schemes and carousels.• It covers much more ground than mooching.• She is then able to cover the same ground, using the objectives set by the ward.• He said he can cover more ground with his drive-by campaign than he could on foot. cover ... ground• He is also an artist who covered enormous ground.• In emphasising the place which the child played in his own learning process, Plowden was not covering new ground.• It had been going on since 1963 and was continued despite the fact that dead trees proved to be very effective cover.• It covers such ground as Education, Sexuality, Population and Possessions, using various statistics and polls.• Of course it requires skill in curriculum organization to cover the necessary ground, for example by use of modular schemes and carousels.• It covers much more ground than mooching.• She is then able to cover the same ground, using the objectives set by the ward.• He said he can cover more ground with his drive-by campaign than he could on foot.cover ... costs• The oil company declined to say how much more it might bump up prices to cover its costs.• Therefore, a higher product price is necessary to cover these rising costs.• On the other hand, if the firm falls short of covering its fixed costs, a loss will be incurred.• Some, although few, home contents policies have a reverse indemnity clause which may cover costs and damages in some cases.• If the three-day time limit is not complied with the certificate will only cover costs incurred after the date of issue.• The fee covers the costs of processing requests and maintaining the database.• In addition there is a £20m exceptional charge to cover the costs of recent flooding.• The departments would only have to cover the costs of training and equipping them.covercover2 ●●● S1 W2 noun 1 protection [countable]COVER something that is put on top of something else to protect it → lid a blue duvet cover a plastic cover A dust cover (=to keep dirt etc off) hung over the painting.2 books [countable]READ the outer front or back part of a magazine, book etc His photo’s on the cover of ‘Newsweek’ again.front/back cover an advertisement on the back cover I read the magazine from cover to cover (=all of it).cover photo/shot/picture (=picture on the front cover) The cover shot was of three guys in army kit.3 → the covers4 shelter [uncountable]PROTECT shelter or protection from bad weather or attackrun/dive for cover He was shot in the head as he ran for cover. We were forced to take cover in a barn. Three soldiers broke cover (=left the place where they were hiding).5 insurance [uncountable] British EnglishBFI the protection insurance gives you, so that it pays you money if you are injured, something is stolen etc SYN coverage American English medical covercover against/for cover against fire and theft6 war [uncountable] military protection and support given to aircraft, ships etc that are likely to be attacked fighters used as cover for ground troops 7 plants [uncountable] trees and plants that grow in large numbers on a piece of land Once the forest cover is felled, rains wash away the soil. With its spreading stems, ivy makes good ground cover.8 weather [uncountable] clouds, snow etc that partly hide the sky or the groundcloud/snow/fog etc cover Cloud cover in the morning should clear later.9 work [uncountable] an arrangement in which people do a job or provide a service, especially because the people who normally do it are not there → backup It’s your responsibility to arrange adequate cover for holiday periods. night-time ambulance cover10 music [countable] (also cover version) a new recording of a song, piece of music etc that was originally recorded by a different artist She’s opted to do a cover version for her first single.11 secret [countable usually singular]SCC behaviour or activities that seem normal or honest but are being used to hide something bad or illegalcover for The gang used the shop as a cover for drug deals. All that toughness is just a cover for his inability to show affection. 12 → under cover13 → under (the) cover of darkness/night14 → under plain cover/under separate coverCOLLOCATIONSADJECTIVES/NOUN + cover the front/back coverThe price of the book is on the back cover.a hard/soft coverI never buy books in hard cover – they’re much more expensive.a book/magazine coverThere was a blonde girl on the magazine cover.cover + NOUNa cover story (=the main story on the front of a newspaper or magazine)Last month’s cover story was entitled ‘Your Child’s Brain’.a cover photo/shot (=picture on the front cover)The picture became the July 4th cover shot.a cover designthe cover design of the Christmas issuea cover girl (=an attractive girl whose photo is on the front cover)She had always liked the idea of being a cover girl.phrasesread something from cover to cover (=read a book, magazine etc very thoroughly)He read it from cover to cover in less than three hours. THESAURUScover something that is put on or over something else to protect it, for example a piece of metal, plastic, or glassa manhole coverthe cover that goes over the barbecuecovering a layer of something, or a sheet of something, that covers something elseThere was light covering of snow on the ground. The hard shell acts as a protective covering.the cloth coverings on the altarlid a cover for a container such as a pan or a boxthe lid of the boxa saucepan lidtop/cap the thing that you put on top of a bottle, tube, or pen, in order to prevent the liquid or other things inside from coming outI can’t find the cap for the pen.Put the top back on the milk!the cap that goes on the toothpastecork the top part that you put on top of a bottle of wineCan you take off the cork for me?wrapping (also wrap especially American English) a sheet of paper, plastic etc that is put around something in order to cover or protect itJohn tore the wrapping off his presents.The lamp was still in its wrapping.wrapper a piece of paper or plastic that is put around something you buy, especially a small objectPut the candy wrappers in your pocket.He took the drinking straw out of its wrapper. Examples from the Corpus
cover• There's $5 cover because there's a band playing tonight.• For years he had used his position at the United Nations as a cover for his spying activities.• It's a good idea to buy a cover for your computer keyboard.• Experts say you should never use more than one page for a cover letter.• They ceasefire turned out to be just a cover to gain time to prepare another attack.• I need to buy a large casserole dish with a cover.• My grandmother disappeared behind her book cover.• Like the Essence ad, the book covers included shaving tips.• The soldiers ran for cover when the shooting began.• Pour over dry ingredients, cover and whirl in blender for about 1 minute.• It was the perfect cover story.• She took the card out of its plastic cover.• There were old record covers scattered all over the floor.• I don't really like Clapton's cover of "I Shot the Sheriff."• Truss-rod adjustment lives under the traditionally-situated cover above the nut, and offers full dual-action flexibility.• Patrick threw back the covers and hopped out of bed.• Clinton's on the cover of "Newsweek."• As with most systems, you can upgrade this cover at extra cost.• "The Bridge" was a tribute album of Neil Young covers.dust cover• It is easy enough to imagine brushing away a meter or so of dry dust covering an ice deposit.cover photo/shot/picture• A cover shot on a magazine with Moore?• At photo opportunities or on walkabouts, he seemed to see a Private Eye cover picture in every handshake or pram.• The picture which became the cover shot, of the Rollright Stones, was a particular race against time.• The cover shot nicely evokes the bewilderment felt when climbing in Ordesa.• The cover shot saw long-haired Best with the famous red United shirt hanging outside his shorts.broke cover• Lord Hamlyn eventually broke cover himself, giving ill health as the explanation for his reticence.• She took several deep breaths, then broke cover and sprinted in a zigzag weave across the open ground.cover against/for• It might make a cover for Private Eye.• Bake, covered for 35 minutes.• If you have health insurance, you may be covered for private treatment abroad anyway.• State residents would be covered for medical care provided out-of-state for up to 90 days of travel a year.• Not even my occasional corporate consulting was good enough cover for my unrelenting commitment.• You may substitute another if its cover for watersports and sailing is equivalent or better.• Relatively inexpensive items could be included in a general household policy, but obtain separate cover for more valuable rugs.• I asked Narendra to cover for me and I drove back to the hotel.ground cover• Use it in a sunny mixed bed, or as ground cover.• Once established it spreads very rapidly and provides excellent ground cover.• Cracking in dry weather can be prevented by mulching and ensuring there is a good ground cover.• Flourishing in sun or light shade, this stachys makes good ground cover under roses.• It can be reduced if you provide more ground cover for the Loaches so that each can find its own space.• One-plant cultures of a single species developed vegetatively, occupying shallow brooks with a stony ground covered with sand, are typical.• It turns out the native animals impact that ground cover very lightly.• There are a few gaps, with ground cover to stop the soil slipping.cloud/snow/fog etc cover• Wind currents and cloud cover always played havoc with our helicopters.• Scientists say the average cirrus cloud cover over the United States has increased 5 percent since the 1960s.• Crop yields would fall as a result of shorter growing periods, and reduced solar radiation due to heavier cloud cover.• Long periods of cloud cover hindered data acquisition during the 1991-92 summer period.• And he heard now, from another direction, up above the cloud cover, a 28.• While the snow covers one world it now also reveals another.• The temperature rises with the cloud cover, and the snow underfoot becomes wet and soft, making progress difficult and tiring.• The cloud cover as well as the atmospheric conditions are precisely defined.cover for• He used a Miami aviation company as a cover for flights carrying drugs into the U.S.• Go and get some lunch. I'll cover for you.• My name's Dr Brown. I'm covering for Dr Steele while he's on holiday.From Longman Business Dictionarycovercov‧er1 /ˈkʌvə-ər/ noun [uncountable]1INSURANCEinsurance against losing something or suffering damage, injury etcThe policies provide cover for death of the policyholder.You have to pay an extra premium to have insurance cover on your personal possessions.2 (also insurance cover)INSURANCE the value that someone or something is insured forinsurance cover of up to £5000 per item for loss or damage3British EnglishFINANCEBANKING something valuable, for example property or an insurance policy, that you promise to give to a bank or someone who has lent you money if you fail to pay the money backSYNCOLLATERAL, SECURITY4BANKING the amount of notes and coins kept by a bank to meet the needs of its customers → see also dividend covercovercover2 verb [transitive]1INSURANCEwhen an insurance policy covers someone or something, the insurance company will pay out money if the person dies or is injured, or if something is damaged, stolen etcYou are not covered by your medical insurance if an accident happens abroad.cover somebody against somethingOur optional Payment Protector plan covers you against loss of income in the event of sickness, accident or compulsory redundancy.2if an amount of money covers something, it is enough to pay for itIt took a massive $1.68 billion pretax charge to cover losses from bad loans.3BANKINGFINANCEif an institution covers a loan, it makes sure that it has something valuable, for example property or an insurance policy, that it can keep if the loan is not repaidMany of these banks’ loans no longer have collateral that covers the amount of the loan.4FINANCE to obtain and pay for a currency, bonds, shares etc that are needed to make a sale that has been agreed, for example in a FUTURES CONTRACTThe price of zinc for immediate delivery rose sharply because Chinese zinc producers that had sold short had to cover their positions.→ See Verb tableOrigin cover1 (1200-1300) Old French covrir, from Latin cooperire, from co- ( → CO-) + operire “to close, cover” 