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🧁 To put over 📰 To report on 💰 To pay for 📕 A protective layer 🛡️ Shelter or hiding 🛡️ To protect or guard 🚶 To travel across 🤝 To substitute 🎤 A new version 💵 A service fee 🐎 To mate (animals) 🃏 To play higher card 🥚 To sit on eggs
to cover

to cover

168 3.1
To take someone's place and do their work for a short time
  • verb
  • /ˈkʌvər/
: sustituir a
  • Could you please cover for me during the meeting while I'm away?
  • cover for each other
  • staff to cover
  • a teacher to cover

You know, in terms of selecting squads, you've got to cover injuries.

Examples

  • Well, I guess then I'll just find someone else to cover this shift.

  • You're still gonna have to stay here and cover for me.

    Welcome to the Punch (2013)

  • I got a guy to cover half my shift.

    Edwin Boyd: Citizen Gangster (2011)

  • I need someone to cover.

    Land of Bad (2024)

  • It's like when the gym teacher has to cover Spanish class.

  • To tell you the truth, I'm sort of covering for him on this bank thing.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • Departmental leaders can also encourage faculty to cover for each other during times of personal or family stress.

    Academic text (2005)

  • I'll cover for you.

    The Front Page (1974)

  • When my colleague is sick, I often cover her shifts at the office.

  • The manager asked if I could cover the late shifts this weekend.

Synonyms

to fill in
vsto cover
108 3.3

Do someone else's job for a short time

is the general idea of covering duties, not only doing the job briefly
to stand in
vsto cover
45 3.5

To take someone else's place for a short time

refers more broadly to covering duties rather than simply standing physically in
to sit in for
vsto cover
30 4.2

To take someone's place for a short time and do their job

is the general act of taking over work and responsibilities temporarily
to stand in for
vsto cover
26 3.2

To take someone's place for a short time

focuses on taking over tasks rather than the appointment or length of stay
to hold down the fort
vsto cover
  • Informal
19 4.5

Take care of a place or job while someone is away

focuses more on maintaining stability than performing every specific task
to sub
vsto cover
  • Informal
8 5.8

To take someone's place for a short time

emphasizes taking on responsibilities rather than the role label of substitute
to spell
vsto cover
1 6.3

Take someone's place for a short time at work

describes single temporary replacement rather than regular turn-taking arrangements

Idioms

to cover more ground
11 3.7

To deal with a larger area or more topics

to judge a book by its cover
  • Informal
9 4.4

Decide something about a person or thing by how they look

to cover one's ass
  • Offensive
1 9.8

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

Phrasal Verbs

to cover up
454 3.7

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

to cover for
  • Informal
136 4.4

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

to take cover
52 3.4

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

to break cover
5 7.0

To come out of hiding into the open

to read from cover to cover
4 3.4

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

Compounds

cover-up
  • Literature
151 5.5

An attempt to hide a crime or scandal from the public

cloud cover
16 3.4

The amount of sky covered by clouds

cover letter
  • Formal
13 3.5

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

cover girl
10 3.8

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

air cover
  • Jargon
10 5.0

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

manhole cover
9 2.8

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

cover charge
8 3.9

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

ground cover
3 3.7

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

protective cover
3 2.7

An object placed over something to keep it safe from damage

cover song
3 3.4

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

cover crop
  • Specialized
2 4.1

A crop grown to protect and improve soil

dust cover
2 3.1

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

cover version
2 3.5

A new recording of a song that another artist made popular

mattress cover
2 1.3

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

cover boy
2 5.9

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

bed cover
1 1.0

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

record cover
1 3.0

A cardboard or paper sleeve that protects a vinyl record

lens cover
1 3.0

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

cover plate
  • Specialized
1 4.8

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

soft-cover
1 3.3

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

dust cover
1 2.7

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

cover slip
  • Specialized
1 5.3

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

soft-cover book
1 2.5

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

cover glass
  • Specialized
1 4.8

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

floor cover
1 3.2

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

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

dust cover
3.5

A large cloth put over furniture to keep off dust

How Responsible

to replace
∞ 1.8
to cover
168 3.1
to stand in
45 3.5
to help out
  • Informal
319 1.0

Surface Forms

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

Etymology

Cover meaning to take someone's place comes from the idea of 'standing in' for them, so to cover a shift is to do someone's work while they are away and keep things going.