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to cover

to cover

5 9.9
To mate with a female animal
  • verb
  • /ˈkʌvər/
  • NSFW
translation icon : cubrir a
  • One day out riding, we saw a stallion covering a mare in a corral, and I was horrified (I hope), and Walter got all flustered in the face and seized the reins and turned me right around.
  • cover a mare
  • stallion covering

Examples

  • You played your games, deliberately arousing me to the mindlessness of a stallion covering a mare... and now you dare try to hide from me?

    Fiction book (2002)
  • Every year, the farmer arranges for his best horse to cover the female horses for healthy offspring.

  • "We are a little bit sad that this will be the last time that we're doing this," Stilson told reporters covering the mating operations.

    Blog text (9)
  • The stallion was brought to the farm to cover the mares during breeding season.

  • During the spring, male animals typically cover the females to ensure the continuation of their species.

Synonyms

to breed
vsto cover
167 1.8

To make animals have babies, often by choosing their parents

is the single act of male animal mating rather than the whole reproduction process
to mount
vsto cover
  • NSFW
20 8.8

To climb onto another animal to mate with it

is the broader male mating act not only the physical mounting
to serve
vsto cover
  • Specialized
14 8.6

To mate with a female animal to produce young

is the standard male animal copulation term not stressing breeding
to copulate
vsto cover
  • NSFW
10 7.9

To have sex, usually used for animals or in biology

is the male animal action of mating rather than a neutral scientific term
to service
vsto cover
  • NSFW
8 9.9

To mate with a female for breeding

is the general male copulation act without focus on breeding intent

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

Surface Forms

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

Etymology

Cover for animal mating comes from the old, literal idea of 'covering' the female, so farmers say a stallion 'covers' a mare because the male mounts and is over the female during mating.