Word.ws English Dictionary

cover

UK/ˈkʌvə//ˈkʌvɚ/

cover noun: a lid.

Noun

cover (countable and uncountable, plural covers)

  1. A lid.
  2. (uncountable) Area or situation which screens a person or thing from view.
    • The soldiers took cover behind a ruined building.
  3. The front and back of a book, magazine, CD package, etc.
  4. The top sheet of a bed.
  5. A cloth or similar material, often fitted, placed over an item such as a car or sofa or food to protect it from dust, rain, insects, etc. when not being used.
  6. (India) A bag or packet.
  7. A cover charge.
    • There's a $15 cover tonight.
  8. A setting at a restaurant table or formal dinner.
    • We need to set another cover for the Smith party.
    • When I gave a dinner there was generally a cover laid for him. I liked the man for his own sake, and even had he promised to turn out a celebrity it would have had no weight with me.1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter I, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC
  9. A new performance or rerecording of a previously recorded song; a cover version; a cover song.
  10. A fielding position on the off side, between point and mid off, about 30° forward of square; a fielder in this position.
    • The captain signalled his best fielder from short leg to cover.
  11. A tarpaulin or other device used to cover the wicket during rain, to prevent it getting wet.
    • The covers were put on just before lunch.
  12. The area of the stumps that is blocked by the batsman so as to defend the wicket.
Show 11 more meaningsShow fewer meanings
  1. A backup incase any player sustains injury during nets or midseries. Originally have to be declared part of squad before match.
    • He was brought in as cover for wicketkeeper.
  2. A collection (or family) of subsets of a given set, whose union contains every element of said original set.
    • The open intervals are a cover for the real numbers.
  3. An envelope complete with stamps and postmarks etc.
  4. A solid object, including terrain, that provides protection from enemy fire.
  5. 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.
  6. An insurance contract; coverage by an insurance contract.
  7. A persona maintained by a spy or undercover operative; cover story.
  8. (dated) A swindler's confederate.
  9. The portion of a slate, tile, or shingle that is hidden by the overlap of the course above.
  10. In a steam engine, the lap of a slide valve.
  11. The distance between reinforcing steel and the exterior of concrete.

Adjective

cover (not comparable)

  1. Of or pertaining to the front cover of a book or magazine.
  2. Of, pertaining to, or consisting of cover versions.

Verb

cover (third-person singular simple present covers, present participle covering, simple past and past participle covered)

  1. (transitive) To place something over or upon, as to conceal or protect.
    • He covered the baby with a blanket.
    • When the pot comes to a boil, cover it and reduce the heat to medium.
    Synonyms:
    bury, overlay
  2. (transitive) To be over or upon, as to conceal or protect.
    • The blanket covered the baby.
    • A great bargain also had been the excellent Axminster carpet which covered the floor; as, again, the arm-chair in which Bunting now sat forward, staring into the dull, small fire.1913, Mrs. [Marie] Belloc Lowndes, chapter I, in The Lodger, London: Methuen, →OCLC; republished in Novels of Mystery: The Lodger; The Story of Ivy; What Really Happened, New York, N.Y.: Longmans...
  3. (transitive) To be upon all of, so as to completely conceal.
    • Regular hexagons can cover the plane.
  4. (transitive) To set upon all of, so as to completely conceal.
    • You can cover the plane with regular hexagons.
  5. (dated, intransitive) To put on one's hat.
    • All the while he held his hat in his hand; and even until he had given his answer, when he covered and bade us be.1904, Rawdon Lubbock Brown, Calendar of State Papers and Manuscripts
  6. (transitive) To invest (oneself with something); to bring upon (oneself).
    • The heroic soldier covered himself with glory.
    • the powers that covered themselves with everlasting infamy by the partition of Poland1842, Henry Brougham, Political Philosophy
  7. (transitive) To discuss thoroughly; to provide coverage of.
    • The magazine covers such diverse topics as politics, news from the world of science, and the economy.
  8. (transitive) To deal with or include someone or something.
    • Richard Morgan covers science for The Economist, The New York Times, Scientific American, and Wired.2010 (publication date), "Contributors", Discover, ISSN 0274-7529, volume 32, number 1, January–February 2011, page 7
  9. (transitive) To have as an assignment or responsibility.
    • Can you cover the morning shift tomorrow? I'll give you off next Monday instead.
    • He is our salesman covering companies with headquarters in the northern provinces.
  10. (transitive) To provide insurance coverage for.
    • Does my policy cover accidental loss?
  11. (transitive) To be enough money for.
    • We've earned enough to cover most of our costs.
    • Ten dollars should cover lunch.
  12. (transitive) To supply with funds; to settle or pay the costs for; to foot the bill for.
    • Dad, when I get to University, will I be covered?
Show 12 more meaningsShow fewer meanings
  1. (intransitive) To act as a replacement.
    • I need to take off Tuesday. Can you cover for me?
  2. (transitive) To air or run locally originated material in place of network material during an internal spot break in a syndicated program.
    • I wish that popular afternoon show would let us cover some of their commercials – their national stuff can be so annoying.
  3. (transitive) To make a cover version of (a song that was originally recorded by another artist).
    • I'm surprised that the band covered this Beatles song so well.
  4. (transitive) To protect from attack in general, to guard.
    • Pent up in Utica he vainly forms
      A poor Epitome of Roman Greatneſs,
      And, cover’d with Numidian Guards, directs
      A feeble Army, and an empty Senate,
      Remnants of mighty Battels fought in vain.1712 (date written), [Joseph] Addison, Cato, a Tragedy. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], published 1713, →OCLC, Act I, scene i, page 2
  5. (transitive) 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.
  6. (transitive) To protect or control (a piece or square).
    • In order to checkmate a king on the side of the board, the five squares adjacent to the king must all be covered.
  7. (transitive) To defend (mark) a particular player or area.
  8. (transitive) To provide an alibi for (someone); to provide excuses or apologia for (someone); to carry water for someone.
  9. (transitive) To copulate with (said of certain male animals such as dogs and horses).
    • I would like to have my bitch covered next spring.
    • The stallion has not covered the mare yet.
    Synonyms:
    impregnate
  10. (transitive) To extend over a given period of time or range, to occupy, to stretch over a given area.
  11. (transitive) To traverse or put behind a certain distance.
    • November 22 — Owing to bad weather all machines flew at a height of 5,000 feet and covered the 90 miles in just 90 minutes . November 23 — During fourth lap ...1915, Aerial Age
    • It had covered better than 840 miles in just a few hours more than seven days.32 The apparently clumsily managed shuffle through the various railroad nets ...1989, Robert K. Krick, Parker's Virginia Battery, C.S.A.
  12. (ambitransitive, dated) To arrange plates, etc. on (a table) in preparation for a meal.
    • […] he told plaintiff he would cover the table, and furnish it the same as the one he was sitting at, and that he should be waited upon and served the same as those on the other side of the room.1892, George Chase, Leading Cases Upon the Law of Torts, page 46
    • […] the chef can send a runner to see why not and if the waiter has forgotten about the order, a runner can cover and serve.1989, Caterer & Hotelkeeper, volume 180, page 83

Proper noun capitalized: Cover

Cover

  1. A surname.
  2. A river in the Yorkshire Dales, North Yorkshire, England, which joins the River Ure; in full, the River Cover.

cover meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu

cover in Hindi

to cover , veil , conceal
ढकना ḍhaknā
to cover, thatch, roof
छाना chānā
to cover, shield
लपेटना lapeṭnā
cover
ढक्कन ḍhakkan

cover in Tamil

அட்டை, தடுப்பு, மறைவு, மூடு, மறை

cover in Marathi

lid
झाकण jhākaṇ

cover in Urdu

to cover
ڈھانپنا ḍhā̃pnā, چھپانا chupānā
cover
ڈھکن ḍhakkan
cover, covering, cap
ٹوپی ṭopī
More languagesFewer languages
cover in Bengali
ঢাকা ḍhaka, কেওয়াড় keōẇaṛ
cover in Telugu
మూత mūta, దుప్పటి duppaṭi, మూయు mūyu
cover in Malayalam
പൊതി poti, ഉറ uṟa, മൂടി mūṭi, മൂടുക mūṭuka
cover in Kannada
ಕವಚ kavaca
cover in Punjabi
اولھا olhā, ਕੱਜਣਾ kajjaṇā, ਗੱਤਾ gattā
cover in Gujarati
મુખપૃષ્ઠ mukhpŕṣṭh
cover in Odia
ଢାଙ୍କିବା ḍhāṅkibā, ଛାଇବା chāibā, ଢାଙ୍କୁଣି ḍhāṅkuṇi
cover in Sanskrit
स्कुनाति skunāti
cover in Sinhala
ආවරණය āwaraṇaya
cover in Assamese
ঢাকনি dhakoni, ঢাক dhak, ঢাপলিকা dhapolika, বকলা bokola
cover in Nepali
ढाक्नु ḍhāknu
cover in Tagalog
takip, pantakip, takpan
cover in Arabic
غِطَاء ḡiṭāʔ, غِلَاف ḡilāf, غَطَّى ḡaṭṭā
cover in Malay
menutup
cover in Indonesian
menutup, tutup
cover in Persian
رو پوشانی ru pušâni, پوشش pušeš, جِلْد jeld
cover in Thai
ฝา fǎa, ปก bpòk, กรูม gruum, กำบัง gam-bang
cover in Vietnamese
nắp, bìa, che
cover in Myanmar
ကာ ka

Examples of cover in a sentence

  • Such a slow-release device containing angiogenic factors could be placed on the pia mater covering the cerebral cortex and tested in persons with senile dementia in long term studies.2013 May-June, Charles T. Ambrose, “Alzheimer’s Disease”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3, page 200:
  • This was known to the ancients; the Egyptians regarded two male partridges as the symbol of homosexuality, and Aristotle noted that two female pigeons would cover each other if no male was at hand.1927, Havelock Ellis, Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Volume 2 (of 6):

All 40 example sentences with cover

Synonyms of cover

All synonyms of cover

Forms of cover

Noun
pluralcovers
Verb
third-person singular presentcovers
present participlecovering
past participlecovered
pastcovered
second-person singular present (archaic)coverest
second-person singular past (archaic)coveredst
third-person singular present (archaic)covereth

Past tense of cover: covered

Plural of cover: covers

Origin of cover

From Middle English coveren, borrowed from Old French covrir, cueuvrir (modern French couvrir), from Late Latin coperire, from Latin cooperiō (“to cover completely”), from co- (intensive prefix) + operiō (“to close, cover”). Displaced native Middle English thecchen and bethecchen (“to cover”) (from Old English þeccan, beþeccan (“to cover”)), Middle English helen, (over)helen, (for)helen (“to cover, conceal”) (from Old English helan (“to conceal, cover, hide”)), Middle English wrien, (be)wreon (“to cover”) (from Old English (be)wrēon (“to cover”)), Middle English hodren, hothren (“to cover up”) (from Low German hudren (“to cover up”)). According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the original sense of the verb and noun cover was “hide from view” as in its cognate covert. Except in the limited sense of “cover again”, the word recover is unrelated and is cognate with recuperate. Cognate with Spanish cubrir and Portuguese cobrir.

Words formed from cover

Phrases with cover

89 more phrasesFewer phrases

Words that rhyme with cover

Questions about cover

What does cover mean?
Cover means a lid.
What is cover in Hindi?
Cover in Hindi is ढकना (ḍhaknā), छाना (chānā), लपेटना (lapeṭnā). See Cover meaning in Hindi.
How do you use cover in a sentence?
Such a slow-release device containing angiogenic factors could be placed on the pia mater covering the cerebral cortex and tested in persons with senile dementia in long term studies.
What part of speech is cover?
Cover can be a noun, an adjective, a verb or a proper noun.
How do you pronounce cover?
Cover is pronounced /ˈkʌvɚ/ (US).
What is the plural of cover?
The plural of cover is covers.

Words near cover in the dictionary

  1. covents
  2. coventure
  3. coventurer
  4. coventurers
  5. coventures
  6. cover
  7. cover 0
  8. cover all of one's bases
  9. cover all of the bases
  10. cover all the bases
  11. cover art

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: cover (page history and authors); Cover (page history and authors); छाना (Hindi) (page history and authors); cover (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); ٹوپی (Urdu) (page history and authors); কেওয়াড় (Bengali) (page history and authors); ഉറ (Malayalam) (page history and authors); ಕವಚ (Kannada) (page history and authors); اولھا (Punjabi) (page history and authors); ଛାଇବା (Odia) (page history and authors); ঢাক (Assamese) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-cover.ogg, en-au-cover.ogg.

Cite this entry: “cover.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/cover. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.