<p><strong>Verb</strong></p><ul><li>to be or serve as a covering for; extend over; rest on the surface of: Snow covered the fields.</li><li>to place something over or upon, as for protection, concealment, or warmth.</li><li>to provide with a covering or top: Cover the pot with a lid.</li><li>to protect or conceal (the body, head, etc.) with clothes, a hat, etc.; wrap.</li><li>to bring upon (oneself): He covered himself with glory by his exploits.</li><li>to hide from view; screen.</li><li>to spread on or over; apply to: to cover bread with honey.</li><li>to put all over the surface of: to cover a wall with paint.</li><li>to include, deal with, or provide for; address: The rules cover working conditions.</li><li>to suffice to defray or meet (a charge, expense, etc.): Ten dollars should cover the cost of a taxi.</li><li>to offset (an outlay, loss, liability, etc.).</li><li>to achieve in distance traversed; pass or travel over: We covered 600 miles a day on our trip.</li><li>to act as a reporter or reviewer of (an event, a field of interest, a performance, etc.); have as an assignment: She covers sports for the paper.</li><li>to publish or broadcast a report or reports of (a news item, a series of related events, etc.): The press covered the trial in great detail.</li><li>to pass or rise over and surmount or envelop: The river covered the town during the flood.</li><li>to insure against risk or loss.</li><li>to serve as a defense for; shelter; protect.</li><li>to be in line with by occupying a position directly before or behind.</li><li>to take temporary charge of or responsibility for in place of another: Please cover my phone while I'm out to lunch.</li><li>to extend over; encompass: The book covers 18th-century England.</li><li>to be assigned to or responsible for, as a territory or field of endeavor: We have two sales representatives covering the Southwest.</li><li>to aim at, as with a pistol.</li><li>to have within range, as a fortress does adjacent territory.</li><li>to play a card higher than (the one led or previously played in the round).</li><li>to deposit the equivalent of (money deposited), as in wagering.</li><li>to accept the conditions of (a bet, wager, etc.).</li><li>(in short selling) to purchase securities or commodities in order to deliver them to the broker from whom they were borrowed.</li><li>to take a position close to or at (a base) so as to catch a ball thrown to the base: The shortstop covered second on the attempted steal.</li><li>to perform or record (a cover version of a song): The band has covered more than ten Bob Dylan songs in concert.</li><li>to perform or record a cover version of a song by (another singer, instrumentalist, or group): Many singers have covered Whitney Houston.</li><li>to guard (an opponent on offense) so as to prevent them from scoring or carrying out their assignment: They tried to cover a potential pass receiver.</li><li>(especially of a male animal) to copulate with.</li><li>(of a hen) to brood or sit on (eggs or chicks).</li></ul><p><strong>Noun</strong></p><ul><li>something that goes on top of or surrounds, such as the lid of a container or the binding of a book.</li><li>a blanket, quilt, or the like: Put another cover on the bed.</li><li>protection; shelter; concealment.</li><li>anything that veils, screens, or shuts from sight: under cover of darkness.</li><li>woods, underbrush, etc., serving to shelter and conceal wild animals or game; a covert.</li><li>ecology: vegetation that serves to protect or conceal animals, such as birds, from excessive sunlight, from drying, or from predators.</li><li>a set of eating utensils and the like, as plate, knife, fork, and napkin, placed for each person at a table.</li><li>an assumed identity, occupation, or business that masks the true or real one: His job at the embassy was a cover for his work as a spy.</li><li>a coating of snow, especially when suitable for skiing.</li><li>a pretense; feigning.</li><li>a person who substitutes for another or stands ready to substitute if needed: She was hired as a cover for six roles at the opera house.</li><li>cover charge.</li><li>philately: an envelope or outer wrapping for mail.</li><li>a letter folded so that the address may be placed on the outside and the missive mailed.</li><li>finance: funds to cover liability or secure against risk of loss.</li><li>music: cover version.</li><li>also called covering.</li><li>mathematics: a collection of sets having the property that a given set is contained in the union of the sets in the collection.</li></ul><p><strong>Verb Phrase</strong></p><ul><li>to lay over or wrap around; enfold.</li><li>to keep secret; conceal: She tried to cover up her part in the plot.</li></ul>