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to cover

to cover

10 8.2
To sit on eggs to keep them warm until they hatch
  • verb
  • /ˈkʌvər/
translation icon : empollar
  • During the incubation period, the penguin covers her eggs with her feet to maintain the right temperature.

Examples

  • The she turtle just lays eggs on some beach at night, covers the whole goes to the ocean and that's it.

  • At low tide, the fertilized eggs can be seen covering the shoreline and its structures.

    Academic text (2003)
  • After covering the clutch with vegetation, the females will retreat from the nesting grounds.

    Academic text (2002)
  • The mother bird carefully covered her eggs to keep them warm and safe from predators.

  • To ensure the eggs hatch successfully, the hen covers them with her body for warmth.

Synonyms

to hatch
vsto cover
5 2.6

To sit on eggs to keep them warm until they open

focuses on sitting for warmth rather than readiness for emergence
to incubate
vsto cover
3 5.1

Sit on eggs to keep them warm until they hatch

stresses keeping eggs warm rather than their internal development
to brood
vsto cover
1 6.0

To sit on eggs to keep them warm until they hatch

applies to birds and other animals rather than only birds

Antonyms

773 3.1

Leave someone or something behind permanently and without care

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 Attentive

to cover
10 8.2
to brood
1 6.0

Surface Forms

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

Etymology

Cover for a bird sitting on eggs comes from the simple physical idea of 'putting over' something, so a bird covers its eggs with its body to keep them warm until they hatch.