Macmillan Dictionary

Did you know?

Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word

cover

 - definition
 
 
 
Close

What are red words?

90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing. These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are more frequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.

Close

Thesaurus

The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.

more
verb [transitive] American English pronunciation: cover /ˈkʌvər/ 
Word Forms
Close
present tense
I/you/we/theycover
he/she/itcovers
present participlecovering
past tensecovered
past participlecovered
Other entries for this word
 
  1. 1

    cover

     or

    cover over

     or

    cover up

     to put one thing over another, in order to protect or hide it

    Cover the food until you are ready to eat it.

    cover someone/something with something:

    They covered her with a blanket.

    be covered with/by something:

    The floor was covered with a sheet of plastic.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of cover
    1. a.
      to be on top of something

      A rug covered the hole in the carpet.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of cover
    2. b.
      to put your hands over your eyes, ears, or mouth

      Bob covered his eyes, unable to look at the body.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of cover
  2. 2
    to be all over a surface or object

    Bruises covered his entire body.

    be covered with/in something:

    His clothes were covered with mud.

    All the furniture was covered with dust.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of cover
    1. a.
      to spread something all over a surface or object

      They covered the path with rose petals.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of cover
    2. b.
      to spread or lie all over an area of land

      Dense forest covers the lower slopes of the mountain.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of cover
  3. 3
    to include and deal with a particular situation, subject, period of history, etc.

    Section 5 covers vacation allowances for part-time workers.

    Her new book covers the period from 1870 to 1918.

    The program covers all aspects of health and safety at work.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of cover
    1. a.
      if a law, rule, or contract covers a particular situation, type of person, etc., it includes or deals with that situation or person

      The rights of unmarried fathers are not covered by this legislation.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of cover
  4. 4
    to give a report or description of an event on television or radio, or in a newspaper

    We will be covering the game live on Saturday afternoon.

    Clare Gray covered the Paris fashion shows for the paper.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of cover
  5. 5
    if an insurance agreement covers a situation or person, it provides protection against loss for that situation or person

    The warranty does not cover damage caused by misuse of the product.

    cover someone for something:

    His car insurance covers him for business use.

    cover someone to do something:

    Are you covered to drive a truck?

    cover someone against something:

    You need to be covered against fire.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of cover
  7. 7
    to travel a particular distance

    We had to cover the last three miles on foot.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of cover
  8. 8
    music to perform or record a song that was first performed by someone else

    Her new album covers some old Beatles classics.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of cover

phrases

phrasal verbs

This is the American English definition of cover. View British English definition of cover.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to British English.

View the pronunciation for cover.

 

caxirola

a percussion instrument used by football fans which makes a rattling sound when shaken

BuzzWord Article

Word of the Day

emancipation

the process of giving freedom and rights to someone

Open Dictionary

pierce the corporate veil

… the decision to treat the rights and duties of a company as being the same as the rights and duties of its shareholders

add a word

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog