Covered Cover I Covering Protect Extra Examples Face

• cover the chicken loosely with foil.
• she covered her face with her hands.
• i covered my mouth to stifle a yawn.
• he laughed to cover (= hide) his nervousness.

cover

Verb Forms

1. to place something over or in front of something in order to hide, protect or decorate it
• Cover the chicken loosely with foil.
• She covered her face with her hands.
• I covered my mouth to stifle a yawn.
• He laughed to cover (= hide) his nervousness.

Extra Examples

• He covered the body with a cloth.
• He tried to cover his embarrassment by starting to rub his hands together.
• Her dress barely covered her chest.
• Her hair partially covered her face.
• She tried to cover her face with her hands.
• She used dried leaves and twigs to cover up the hole.
• He laughed to cover his embarrassment.
2. to lie or spread over the surface of something
• Snow covered the ground.
• Much of the country is covered by forest.
• Its head, body, and tail are completely covered with brown fur.
• His chest was covered in bruises.
3. to put or spread a layer of liquid, dust, etc. on somebody/something
• The wind blew in from the desert and covered everything with sand.
• Soak the dried mushrooms by covering them in boiling water for a few minutes.
• The steps were now completely covered with water.
• The players were soon covered in mud.

Extra Examples

• The cars were all covered in snow.
• The children were completely covered with mud.
4. to include something; to deal with something
• The lectures covered a lot of ground (= a lot of material, subjects, etc.).
• The survey covers all aspects of the business.
• The articles cover a wide range of subjects.
• Each podcast covers a different topic.
• the sales team covering the northern part of the country (= selling to people in that area)
• Do the rules cover (= do they apply to) a case like this?
• Don't worry. I've got it covered (= I'm dealing with it).

Extra Examples

• The tax may be extended to cover books.
• We've hardly covered a quarter of the course.
• He manages the sales team covering the northern part of the country.
5. to be or provide enough money for something
• $100 should cover your expenses.
• The show barely covered its costs.
• Your parents will have to cover your tuition fees.
6. to travel the distance mentioned
• By sunset we had covered thirty miles.
• They walked for a long time and covered a good deal of ground.

Extra Examples

• He covered the journey at top speed.
• They covered long distances on foot.
• We must have covered over 20 miles.
• I covered a lot of ground rapidly and soon caught up with them.
7. to spread over the area mentioned
• The reserve covers an area of some 1 140 square kilometres.
8. to report on an event for television, a newspaper, etc.; to show an event on television
• She's covering the party's annual conference.
• The BBC will cover all the major games of the tournament.
• The media has consistently refused to cover the story.
9. to do somebody’s work or duties while they are away
• I'm covering for Jane while she's on leave.
10. to invent a lie or an excuse that will stop somebody from getting into trouble
• I have to go out for a minute—will you cover for me if anyone asks where I am?
11. to protect somebody against loss, injury, etc. by insurance
• Are you fully covered for fire and theft?
• Does this policy cover my husband to drive?

Extra Examples

• This policy should cover you against accidental injury.
• a policy that covers you for fire and theft
12. to take action in order to protect yourself against being blamed for something
• Many firms put money aside to cover themselves against possible legal claims.
13. to protect somebody by threatening to shoot at anyone who tries to attack them
• Cover me while I move forward.
• The artillery gave us covering fire (= shot to protect us).
14. to aim a gun at a place or person so that nobody can escape or shoot
• The police covered the exits to the building.
• Don't move—we've got you covered!
15. to record a new version of a song that was originally recorded by another band or singer
• They've covered an old Rolling Stones number.
16. to consider and deal with all the things that could happen or could be needed when you are arranging something
• I am confident this contract covers all the bases.
17. to realize that you may be blamed or criticized for something later and take action to avoid this
• Get everything in writing in order to cover your back.
18. to hide the real situation or facts when these are not good or pleasant
• She was dressed in loose comfortable clothes that hid a multitude of sins.
19. to try and hide what you have done, because you do not want other people to find out about it
• He had attempted to cover his tracks by making her death appear like suicide.

Word Origin

• Middle English: from Old French covrir, from Latin cooperire, from co- (expressing intensive force) + operire ‘to cover’. The noun is partly a variant of covert.