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What does cover mean?

Definitions for cover
ˈkʌv ərcov·er

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word cover.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. screen, cover, covert, concealmentnoun

    a covering that serves to conceal or shelter something

    "a screen of trees afforded privacy"; "under cover of darkness"; "the brush provided a covert for game"; "the simplest concealment is to match perfectly the color of the background"

  2. blanket, covernoun

    bedding that keeps a person warm in bed

    "he pulled the covers over his head and went to sleep"

  3. cover, covering, screening, maskingnoun

    the act of concealing the existence of something by obstructing the view of it

    "the cover concealed their guns from enemy aircraft"

  4. binding, book binding, cover, backnoun

    the protective covering on the front, back, and spine of a book

    "the book had a leather binding"

  5. covering, natural covering, covernoun

    a natural object that covers or envelops

    "under a covering of dust"; "the fox was flushed from its cover"

  6. top, covernoun

    covering for a hole (especially a hole in the top of a container)

    "he removed the top of the carton"; "he couldn't get the top off of the bottle"; "put the cover back on the kettle"

  7. cover, covering firenoun

    fire that makes it difficult for the enemy to fire on your own individuals or formations

    "artillery provided covering fire for the withdrawal"

  8. cover charge, covernoun

    a fixed charge by a restaurant or nightclub over and above the charge for food and drink

  9. cover, cover version, cover songnoun

    a recording of a song that was first recorded or made popular by somebody else

    "they made a cover of a Beatles' song"

  10. coververb

    a false identity and background (especially one created for an undercover agent)

    "her new name and passport are cover for her next assignment"

  11. coververb

    provide with a covering or cause to be covered

    "cover her face with a handkerchief"; "cover the child with a blanket"; "cover the grave with flowers"

  12. cover, spread oververb

    form a cover over

    "The grass covered the grave"

  13. cover, continue, extendverb

    span an interval of distance, space or time

    "The war extended over five years"; "The period covered the turn of the century"; "My land extends over the hills on the horizon"; "This farm covers some 200 acres"; "The Archipelago continues for another 500 miles"

  14. coververb

    provide for

    "The grant doesn't cover my salary"

  15. cover, treat, handle, plow, deal, addressverb

    act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression

    "This book deals with incest"; "The course covered all of Western Civilization"; "The new book treats the history of China"

  16. embrace, encompass, comprehend, coververb

    include in scope; include as part of something broader; have as one's sphere or territory

    "This group encompasses a wide range of people from different backgrounds"; "this should cover everyone in the group"

  17. traverse, track, cover, cross, pass over, get over, get across, cut through, cut acrossverb

    travel across or pass over

    "The caravan covered almost 100 miles each day"

  18. report, coververb

    be responsible for reporting the details of, as in journalism

    "Snow reported on China in the 1950's"; "The cub reporter covered New York City"

  19. coververb

    hold within range of an aimed firearm

  20. coververb

    to take an action to protect against future problems

    "Count the cash in the drawer twice just to cover yourself"

  21. cover, cover upverb

    hide from view or knowledge

    "The President covered the fact that he bugged the offices in the White House"

  22. coververb

    protect or defend (a position in a game)

    "he covered left field"

  23. coververb

    maintain a check on; especially by patrolling

    "The second officer covered the top floor"

  24. cover, insure, underwriteverb

    protect by insurance

    "The insurance won't cover this"

  25. cover, compensate, overcompensateverb

    make up for shortcomings or a feeling of inferiority by exaggerating good qualities

    "he is compensating for being a bad father"

  26. coververb

    invest with a large or excessive amount of something

    "She covered herself with glory"

  27. coververb

    help out by taking someone's place and temporarily assuming his responsibilities

    "She is covering for our secretary who is ill this week"

  28. coververb

    be sufficient to meet, defray, or offset the charge or cost of

    "Is this enough to cover the check?"

  29. coververb

    spread over a surface to conceal or protect

    "This paint covers well"

  30. shroud, enshroud, hide, coververb

    cover as if with a shroud

    "The origins of this civilization are shrouded in mystery"

  31. breed, coververb

    copulate with a female, used especially of horses

    "The horse covers the mare"

  32. overlay, coververb

    put something on top of something else

    "cover the meat with a lot of gravy"

  33. coververb

    play a higher card than the one previously played

    "Smith covered again"

  34. coververb

    be responsible for guarding an opponent in a game

  35. brood, hatch, cover, incubateverb

    sit on (eggs)

    "Birds brood"; "The female covers the eggs"

  36. cover, wrap upverb

    clothe, as if for protection from the elements

    "cover your head!"

Wiktionary

  1. covernoun

    A lid.

  2. covernoun

    A hiding from view.

  3. covernoun

    A front and back of a book or magazine.

  4. covernoun

    A top sheet of a bed.

  5. covernoun

    A setting at a restaurant table.

    We need to set another cover for the Smith party.

  6. covernoun

    A rerecording of a previously recorded song; a cover version; a cover song.

  7. covernoun

    A fielding position on the off side, between point and mid off, about 30° forward of square; a fielder in this position.

  8. covernoun

    A set (more often known as a family) of sets, whose union contains the given set.

    The open intervals are a cover for the real numbers.

  9. coververb

    To place something over or upon, as to conceal or protect.

  10. coververb

    To be over or upon, as to conceal or protect.

    The blanket covered the baby.

  11. coververb

    To be upon all of, so as to completely conceal.

    Regular hexagons can cover the plane.

  12. coververb

    To set upon all of, so as to completely conceal.

    You can cover the plane with regular hexagons.

  13. coververb

    To discuss thoroughly, to provide good coverage of.

    The magazine covers such diverse topics as politics, news from the world of science, and the economy.

  14. coververb

    To deal with

  15. coververb

    To be enough money for.

  16. coververb

    To act as a replacement.

    I need to take off Tuesday. Can you cover for me?

  17. coververb

    To have as an assignment or responsibility.

  18. covernoun

    An envelope complete with stamps and postmarks etc.

  19. covernoun

    A solid object, including terrain, that provides protection from enemy fire.

  20. covernoun

    In commercial law, a buyer's purchase on the open market of goods similar or identical to the goods contracted for after a seller has breached a contract of sale by failure to deliver the goods contracted for.

  21. covernoun

    An insurance contract; coverage by an insurance contract.

  22. covernoun

    A persona maintained by a spy or undercover operative, cover story

  23. coververb

    To make a cover version of (a song that was originally recorded by another artist).

  24. coververb

    To protect using an aimed firearm and the threat of firing; or to protect using continuous, heaving fire at or in the direction of the enemy so as to force the enemy to remain in cover; or to threaten using an aimed firearm.

  25. coververb

    To provide insurance coverage for.

    Does my policy cover accidental loss?

  26. coververb

    To copulate with (said of certain male animals such as dogs and horses).

  27. coveradjective

    Of or pertaining to the front cover of a book or magazine.

  28. coveradjective

    Of, pertaining to, or consisting of cover versions.

  29. Etymology: coveren, from covrir (Modern couvrir) from coperire from cooperire, from co-, intensive prefix, + operire "to close, cover". Displaced native thecchen and bithecchen (from þeccan, beþeccan), helen (from helan), wreon (from wreon), hodren (from hudren "to cover up").

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Covernoun

    Etymology: from the verb.

    The secundine is but a general cover, not shaped according to the parts, but the skin is shaped according to the parts. Francis Bacon, Natural History, №. 732.

    The fountains could be strengthened no other way than by making a strong cover or arch over them. Thomas Burnet, Theory.

    Orestes’ bulky rage,
    Unsatisfy’d with margins closely writ,
    Foams o’er the covers, and not finish’d yet. John Dryden, Juv. Sat.

    With your hand, or any other cover, you stop the vessel, so as wholly to exclude the air. John Ray, on the Creation.

    The truth and reason of things may be artificially and effectually insinuated, under the cover either of a real fact, or of a supposed one. Roger L'Estrange.

    As the spleen has great inconveniences, so the pretence of it is a handsome cover for imperfections. Jeremy Collier, on the Spleen.

    In the mean time, by being compelled to lodge in the field, which grew now to be very cold, whilst his army was under cover, they might be forced to retire. Edward Hyde, b. viii.

  2. To COVERverb

    Etymology: couvrir, French.

    The pastures are cloathed with flocks, the valleys also are covered over with corn. Ps. lxv. 13.

    A man ought not to cover his head. 1 Cor. xi. 7.

    Go to thy fellows, bid them cover the table, serve in the meat, and we will come in to dinner. William Shakespeare, Merch. of Venice.

    Or lead me to some solitary place,
    And cover my retreat from human race. John Dryden, Virg. Geor.

    Raillery and wit serve only to cover nonsense with shame, when reason has first proved it to be mere nonsense. Isaac Watts.

    Charity shall cover the multitude of sins. 1 Pet. iv. 8.

    Natural historians observe, that only the male birds have voices; that their songs begin a little before breeding-time, and end a little after; that whilst the hen is covering her eggs, the male generally takes his stand upon a neighbouring bough within her hearing, and by that means amuses and diverts her with his songs during the whole time of her sitting. Joseph Addison, Spect.

    That king had conferred the honour of grandee upon him, which was of no other advantage or signification to him, than to be covered in the presence of that king. John Dryden, Æn. Dedicat.

ChatGPT

  1. cover

    Cover can have several meanings based on the context, but generally, it refers to placing something on top or in front of another object, usually in order to protect, hide, contain or decorate it. As a noun, it could refer to something which lies on, over, or around something else, especially in order to protect or conceal it. In insurance, cover refers to the protection given by an insurance policy. In journalism, cover refers to the reporting of a particular important event or topic. In music, a cover is a new performance or recording of a previously recorded song by someone other than the original artist.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Coververb

    to overspread the surface of (one thing) with another; as, to cover wood with paint or lacquer; to cover a table with a cloth

  2. Coververb

    to envelop; to clothe, as with a mantle or cloak

  3. Coververb

    to invest (one's self with something); to bring upon (one's self); as, he covered himself with glory

  4. Coververb

    to hide sight; to conceal; to cloak; as, the enemy were covered from our sight by the woods

  5. Coververb

    to brood or sit on; to incubate

  6. Coververb

    to shelter, as from evil or danger; to protect; to defend; as, the cavalry covered the retreat

  7. Coververb

    to remove from remembrance; to put away; to remit

  8. Coververb

    to extend over; to be sufficient for; to comprehend, include, or embrace; to account for or solve; to counterbalance; as, a mortgage which fully covers a sum loaned on it; a law which covers all possible cases of a crime; receipts than do not cover expenses

  9. Coververb

    to put the usual covering or headdress on

  10. Coververb

    to copulate with (a female); to serve; as, a horse covers a mare; -- said of the male

  11. Covernoun

    anything which is laid, set, or spread, upon, about, or over, another thing; an envelope; a lid; as, the cover of a book

  12. Covernoun

    anything which veils or conceals; a screen; disguise; a cloak

  13. Covernoun

    shelter; protection; as, the troops fought under cover of the batteries; the woods afforded a good cover

  14. Covernoun

    the woods, underbrush, etc., which shelter and conceal game; covert; as, to beat a cover; to ride to cover

  15. Covernoun

    the lap of a slide valve

  16. Covernoun

    a tablecloth, and the other table furniture; esp., the table furniture for the use of one person at a meal; as, covers were laid for fifty guests

  17. Coververb

    to spread a table for a meal; to prepare a banquet

  18. Etymology: [Cf. F. couvert.]

Wikidata

  1. Cover

    In philately, the term cover pertains to the outside of an envelope or package with an address, typically with postage stamps that have been cancelled and is a term generally used among stamp and postal history collectors. The term does not include the contents of the letter or package, although they may add interest to the item if still present. Cover collecting plays an important role in postal history as many covers bear stamps, postmarks and other markings along with names and addresses all of which help to place a cover at a given time and place in history.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Cover

    kuv′ėr, v.t. to hide: to clothe: to extend over: to brood or sit on: to be sufficient for: to protect: to table a coin of equal value in wagering: to copulate with—esp. of a stallion: to screen: to aim directly at.—v.i. to spread over so as to conceal something: to lay a table for a meal: to put one's hat on.—n. that which protects: undergrowth, thicket, concealing game, &c.: the table requisites for one person—plate, knife, fork, napkin, &c.: deceitfulness: a swindler's confederate.—adj. Cov′ered, intended or used for shelter or concealment: roofed over: with the hat on.—ns. Cover′ed-way; Cov′ert-way (fort.), a path about thirty feet wide outside the ditch of a fort, and so far sunk below the crest of the glacis as to afford cover or shelter to the soldiers; Cover′ing, anything that covers.—adj. Cov′ert, covered: concealed: secret.—n. a place that covers or affords protection.—ns. Cov′ert-coat, a short light overcoat; Cov′ert-coat′ing, cloth for such.—adv. Cov′ertly, in a covered or concealed manner.—n. Cov′erture, covering, shelter: (law) the condition of a married woman as legally under the protection of her husband.—Cover into, to transfer into; Cover shorts, to buy in such stocks as have been sold short, in order to meet one's engagements, &c.; Cover the buckle, to execute a difficult step in dancing. [Fr. couvrir (It. coprire)—L. co-operīre—con, and operīre, to cover.]

Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms

  1. cover

    1. The action by land, air, or sea forces to protect by offense, defense, or threat of either or both. 2. Those measures necessary to give protection to a person, plan, operation, formation, or installation from the enemy intelligence effort and leakage of information. 3. The act of maintaining a continuous receiver watch with transmitter calibrated and available, but not necessarily available for immediate use. 4. Shelter or protection, either natural or artificial. 5. (DOD only) Photographs or other recorded images which show a particular area of ground. 6. (DOD only) A code meaning,

Dictionary of Nautical Terms

  1. cover

    Security from attack or interruption, as under cover of the ship's guns, under cover of the parapet. In the field exercise and drill of troops, one body is said to cover another exactly in rear of it. Covers for sails when furled (to protect them from the weather when loosing and airing them is precluded), are made of strong canvas painted.

Military Dictionary and Gazetteer

  1. cover

    Natural or artificial protection from the fire of the enemy, the former being afforded by hills, woods, banks, walls, etc., the latter by fortifications constructed for the purpose. To cover is, in military language, to stand exactly behind another man.

Surnames Frequency by Census Records

  1. COVER

    According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Cover is ranked #8858 in terms of the most common surnames in America.

    The Cover surname appeared 3,699 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 would have the surname Cover.

    87% or 3,220 total occurrences were White.
    6.5% or 243 total occurrences were Black.
    3.6% or 134 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.
    1.8% or 69 total occurrences were of two or more races.
    0.6% or 24 total occurrences were Asian.
    0.2% or 9 total occurrences were American Indian or Alaskan Native.

Matched Categories

British National Corpus

  1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'cover' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1702

  2. Written Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'cover' in Written Corpus Frequency: #1278

  3. Nouns Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'cover' in Nouns Frequency: #833

  4. Verbs Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'cover' in Verbs Frequency: #121

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of cover in Chaldean Numerology is: 5

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of cover in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

Examples of cover in a Sentence

  1. Donald Meyer:

    They're responsible for the murder and shooting of my daughter and me, and now it's a big cover up, they're charging me with a felony for protecting my family?

  2. Ken Lattin:

    We're not here to cover up for anybody.

  3. Attorney General Loretta Lynch:

    We think that this is exactly the type of case that the federal hate crimes statues were, in fact, conceived of to cover, racially motivated violence such as this is the original domestic terrorism.

  4. Gloria Allred:

    As undignified as this is, it is my turn to take the empty chair that I saw on the cover of the New York Magazine, because I was assaulted sitting in a chair on a job interview and I was not drugged.

  5. Ben Sasse:

    It’s CYA [ cover your a -- ] week in Washington, the Senate is taking a guaranteed-to-fail vote on blowing up the filibuster so that [ Majority Leader ] Chuck Schumer can ward off a primary challenge from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and so that Ron Klain can throw some chum at the Democratic Party’s progressive base.

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Popularity rank by frequency of use

cover#1#846#10000

References

Translations for cover

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

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"cover." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 14 Sep. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/cover>.

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