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to cover

to cover

352 1.9
To protect someone, for example by guarding them in a game
  • verb
  • /ˈkʌvər/
translation icon : cubrir
  • Merit, you take two men and cover the cliffs from the top.
  • covered by insurance
  • cover an area

And then, lo and behold, he's Trump's attorney general covering up the Epstein network.

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Examples

  • Even if you made a mistake, they should first cover you, then chew you out afterward.

  • Your comrade should be able to offer covering fire, even if he can no longer move.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Somebody cover the west wall.

  • We'll cover you all up.

  • Children were instructed to cover their answers so that others could not see them.

    Academic text (2015)
  • The ICC does not cover disputes between countries.

  • Cover him.

  • Monk's got it covered.

  • That autumn, his corps attempted to cover the main army's retreat from Moscow.

  • The soldier took his position to cover the flank during the battle.

Synonyms

to protect
vsto cover
1.0

To keep someone or something safe from harm

is broader, also used in sports, military, and insurance contexts
to defend
vsto cover
1.3

To protect people and things from attack or harm

is broader and can mean passive protection, not only active fighting
to shield
vsto cover
146 2.7

To protect someone or something from harm

covers the same barrier idea but also means general protection roles
to guard
vsto cover
84 1.3

To take care to avoid a problem or danger

includes taking precautions but also implies active shielding or support
to shelter
vsto cover
76 2.5

To give someone a safe place to stay from danger or bad weather

is more general, not only about giving physical places or layers
to shield from
vsto cover
56 3.3

To protect people or things from harm

is broader and includes nonphysical forms of safeguarding
to safeguard
vsto cover
45 3.7

To protect someone or something from harm

is similar but emphasizes varied contexts including tactical or formal uses
to ward
vsto cover
43 4.8

To keep someone or something safe from harm

is wider, covering guarding plus other protective roles like insurance
to encase
vsto cover
34 4.9

To cover something completely so nothing can get in or out

is less specific to prevention and more about physical enclosure
to keep safe
vsto cover
9 1.8

To protect people or things from danger

is nearer in meaning but also fits brief tactical or short protective roles
to shield against
vsto cover
3 3.8

To protect a person or thing from harm

is more general, applying beyond direct physical threats
to armor
vsto cover
  • US
2 4.8

To put a strong protective layer on something

is broader, applying also to nonmaterial forms of protection
to forfend
vsto cover
  • Archaic
2 9.9

To stop danger or harm from happening

is broader, including simple guarding or insurance-type protection
to bulwark
vsto cover
8.2

To protect someone or something by giving strong support like a wall

is broader and less focused on built, structural defense
to casemate
vsto cover
  • Specialized
9.9

To put weapons into a strong shelter to protect them from enemy fire

is more general, not limited to heavy fortification methods
to sheathe
vsto cover
6.5

To cover something with a protective layer, for example metal, leather or plastic

is broader, including nonphysical protection like support or backup
to capsulate
vsto cover
  • Specialized
8.2

To put something inside a small protective cover, often for medicine

is wider in use and not limited to scientific encapsulation
to forefend
vsto cover
  • Archaic
9.9

To stop something bad from happening

is similar but the main term also implies passive or situational protection

Antonyms

773 3.1

Leave someone or something behind permanently and without care

479 3.2

Put someone in a situation where they can be harmed by something

Idioms

to cover one's ass
  • Offensive
32 9.8

To take steps to protect yourself from blame, often by keeping records or blaming others

To deal with a larger area or more topics

Decide something about a person or thing by how they look

Phrasal Verbs

314 3.7

To hide something so people cannot see or find out about it

to cover for
  • Informal
156 4.4

To do or say something to hide someone's bad action

69 3.4

To move to a place that protects you from danger or bad weather

To come out of hiding into the open

To read every page of a book or magazine from start to finish

Compounds

cover-up
  • Literature
137 5.5

An attempt to hide a crime or scandal from the public

cover letter
  • Formal
16 3.5

A short letter you send with a job application to introduce yourself and say why you fit the job

15 3.4

The amount of sky covered by clouds

10 3.8

An attractive woman whose photo is on a magazine's front cover

air cover
  • Jargon
9 5.0

Military aircraft protect soldiers or ships from enemy attack during an operation

7 3.9

An extra fee each person pays to enter a restaurant or club, not for food and drink

A heavy round metal lid that covers an opening in a street or pavement

4 3.7

Plants that grow low and spread over soil to protect it in gardens

cover crop
  • Specialized
3 4.1

A crop grown to protect and improve soil

2 3.4

A new recording or performance of a song originally sung by another artist

2 5.9

A young man who appears on a magazine front cover as a fashion model

A new recording of a song that another artist made popular

A removable cloth or plastic layer that protects a mattress from dirt and spills

1 1.0

A large cloth that lies on top of a bed to protect it and make it look nice

An object placed over something to keep it safe from damage

cover plate
  • Specialized
1 4.8

A flat hard plate that closes an opening to protect the parts inside

1 3.1

A removable cover, often plastic or cloth, that protects machines like a printer from dust when not in use

1 3.0

A removable cap that protects a camera lens from dust and scratches

1 3.3

A book with thin, flexible paper on the outside rather than a hard cover

cover slip
  • Specialized
5.3

A small thin glass piece placed over a sample on a microscope slide to protect it and aid viewing

cover glass
  • Specialized
4.8

A thin flat piece of glass placed over a specimen on a microscope slide

cover glass
  • Specialized
3.4

A hard outer layer of glass that protects a device screen from scratches and drops

cover-slut
  • Offensive
9.9

A person who often makes new versions of other people's songs or who loves cover bands

A paper cover on a book that protects it and shows the title and author

A large cloth put over furniture to keep off dust

A material like carpet or wood placed on the floor to protect it and make it look nicer

A cardboard or paper sleeve that protects a vinyl record

A book with a flexible paper cover instead of a hard cover

How Protected

to fortify
39 6.2
to safeguard
45 3.7
to shield
146 2.7
to cover
352 1.9
to guard
418 1.0

Surface Forms

cover infinitive
covered past
covered past participle
covering present participle
covers third person singular

Etymology

Cover meaning to protect or guard someone comes from the old idea of 'putting something over' to keep it safe, so to cover a player or a person is to watch and protect them.