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

to cover

362 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 stand in

vsto cover

115 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 fill in

vsto cover

100 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 spell

vsto cover

26 6.3

Take someone's place for a short time at work

describes single temporary replacement rather than regular turn-taking arrangements

to sit in for

vsto cover

24 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 sub

vsto cover

Informal

19 5.8

To take someone's place for a short time

emphasizes taking on responsibilities rather than the role label of substitute

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 stand in for

vsto cover

14 3.2

To take someone's place for a short time

focuses on taking over tasks rather than the appointment or length of stay

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 cover more ground

15 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

Phrasal Verbs

to cover up

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

to take cover

69 3.4

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

to break cover

3 7.0

To come out of hiding into the open

to read from cover to cover

1 3.4

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

cloud cover

15 3.4

The amount of sky covered by clouds

cover girl

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

cover charge

7 3.9

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

manhole cover

7 2.8

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

ground cover

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

cover song

2 3.4

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

cover boy

2 5.9

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

cover version

1 3.5

A new recording of a song that another artist made popular

mattress cover

1 1.3

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

bed cover

1 1.0

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

protective cover

1 2.7

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

dust cover

1 3.1

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

lens cover

1 3.0

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

soft-cover

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

dust cover

2.7

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

dust cover

3.5

A large cloth put over furniture to keep off dust

floor cover

3.2

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

record cover

3.0

A cardboard or paper sleeve that protects a vinyl record

soft-cover book

2.5

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

How Responsible

to replace

∞ 1.8

to cover

362 3.1

to stand in

115 3.5

to help out

Informal

486 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.