Meaning of cover In English

• 0 to put or spread something over something, or to lie on the surface of something:

  • The light was so bright that I had to cover my eyes.

  • Snow covered the hillsides.

  • She covered him (up) with a blanket.

  • Cover the meat with a layer of cheese.

  • The bandages were covered with/in blood.

  • How much of the earth's surface is covered by/with water?

• 1 to deal with or direct attention to something:

  • This leaflet covers what we've just discussed in more detail.

  • Do these parking restrictions cover residents as well as visitors?

  • The salesman's territory covers the whole of the southeast.

• 2 to report the news about a particular important event:

  • She's covering the American election for BBC television.

• 3 to protect someone against loss, damage, accident, or having something stolen, by having insurance:

  • Does your travel insurance cover you against/for the loss or theft of cash?

  • I kept copies of my expense receipts, just to cover myself.

• 4 to travel a particular distance:

  • We covered 400 km in three hours.

• 5 to be enough money to pay for something:

  • The selling price barely covered the cost of the raw materials.

  • Would £50 cover your expenses?

• 6 to aim a gun or shoot at someone to try to stop them from shooting or escaping, or to protect someone else:

  • The police officer was covered by her colleagues while she ran towards the gunman's hideout.

  • All the exits are covered, so they can't escape.

• 7 to prevent a member of the opposing team from taking control of the ball by staying close to them all the time

• 8 to do someone else's job or duty when they are absent:

  • I'm going to the doctor's tomorrow, so do you think you could cover my shift for me?

  • Sorry, I'm already covering for someone else.

• 9 to make a recording of a song or tune that has already been recorded by someone else:

  • I think more singers have covered "Yesterday" than any other song.

• 10 something that is put on or over something else, usually to protect it, to keep something in, etc.:

  • I keep my computer printer under a protective plastic cover.

  • Remove the packaging and pierce the plastic cover before microwaving.

  • Who should we put on the cover of the magazine this month?

  • Paperback books have soft covers.

  • Martha threw back the covers and bounced out of bed.

• 11 shelter or protection in an unpleasant or dangerous situation:

  • We took cover from the storm in a bus shelter.

  • The burglar broke into the house under cover of darkness.

  • We needed more cover from the enemy aircraft.

  • I've got £20,000 worth of cover for the contents of my house.

  • Do you have cover for accidental damage?

• 12 a performance or recording of a song or tune that has already been recorded by someone else:

  • How many cover versions have been made of "My Way"?

• 13 to put or spread something over something, or to lie on the surface of something:

  • Once the rice comes to a boil, turn down the flame and cover the pot.

  • She covered the child with a blanket.

  • Grand Canyon National Park covers over a million acres.

• 14 to travel a particular distance:

  • We covered 600 miles in the last two days.

  • fig. Her lecture covered a lot of ground, from Renaissance art to modern art.

• 15 to deal with or include someone or something:

  • The travel guide covers all the museums and historic places.

• 16 to report or write about a particular subject for a newspaper, magazine, television, or radio:

  • Harold covers sports for the Times, and Joan covers real-estate developments.

• 17 to be enough money to pay for:

  • Will $150 cover your expenses?

• 18 to protect someone or something from financial loss, damage, accident, or having something stolen; to insure:

  • Our car insurance covers us up to $250,000 for personal injury.

• 19 to do a job or duty for someone who is absent:

  • Can you cover for me while I'm at the dentist on Monday?

• 20 to deal with or take care of something:

  • Could you cover the phones while I’m away from the office?

• 21 shelter or protection, esp. in a dangerous situation:

  • Folks heard the storm was coming and took cover.

• 22 something that is placed over something, often for protection, or that lies over something else to form a layer:

  • I keep my computer printer under a plastic cover.

  • [ pl ] On cold days, she pulled the covers up to her chin.

• 23 to include or deal with something:

  • The seminars cover such topics as making an impact at interview, employability, and what companies are looking for.

  • Have I covered all your questions?

• 24 to serve customers in a particular area:

  • Our delivery service covers the entire metropolitan area.

• 25 to be enough money to pay for something:

  • My wife earns enough to cover the mortgage.

  • We only sold enough to cover our costs - we made no profit at all.

  • The amount was not sufficient to cover all his debts.

  • The government's guarantee will cover the first £50,000 of people's savings.

• 26 to protect someone or something against loss, damage, accident, etc., by insurance:

  • The policy covers employee and public liability, equipment loss, materials, and personal accidents.

  • cover (sb) against/for sth In general, buildings insurance covers (you) against damage to the house itself and outbuildings such as conservatories and greenhouses.

• 27 to protect yourself from being blamed for something:

  • cover yourself (against something) Always inform a senior colleague of your intentions, in order to cover yourself against accusations of bullying.

• 28 if a financial organization can cover a loan, it is protected against loss by having enough collateral (= property that a person borrowing money agrees to give to the organization if they fail to pay the debt):

  • The approval for a home equity loan is usually easy as the lender has collateral to cover the loan amount.

• 29 to buy shares, currency, etc. that you have arranged to sell in the future, especially if the price is rising and you had expected it to go down:

  • Tokyo stocks advanced 1.1% Thursday as futures rose and investors scrambled to cover short positions.

• 30 to do someone else's job when they are absent:

  • cover (for sb) We are expected to cover for each other if someone is absent or is late arriving in the morning.

  • While he was on sick leave, a colleague covered his job.

• 31 the stiff outside part of a book or magazine:

  • She became the first woman to appear on the cover of Business Week.

• 32 financial protection against loss, damage, injury, etc., which an insurance company sells:

  • health/liability/life/travel cover A firm employing staff needs to have employers' liability cover.

  • buy/get/take out cover (for/against sth) Homeworkers can get insurance cover for copiers and faxes but premium costs vary widely.

  • provide cover (for/against sth) The policy provides cover for loss or damage to property owned by the insured.

  • For a small additional premium, you can increase this cover to £100,000.

• 33 the fact of being enough to pay for something:

  • The property that is being offered as collateral will be sufficient cover for the loan amount.

• 34 the situation in which someone does someone else's job when they are absent:

  • Employees need cover for days they have to stay home to care for sick children.