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.
cover someone (up) with something She covered him (up) with a blanket.
cover something with something Cover the meat with a layer of cheese.
be covered with/in The bandages were covered with/in blood.
be covered by/with How much of the earth's surface is covered by/with water?
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.
to report the news about a particular important event:
She's covering the American election for BBC television.
to protect someone against loss, damage, accident, or having something stolen, by having insurance:
cover someone against/for something Does your travel insurance cover you against/for the loss or theft of cash?
to travel a particular distance:
We covered 400 km in three hours.
to be or give enough money to pay for something:
cover the cost The selling price barely covered the cost of the raw materials.
cover expenses For some writers, having to cover expenses like meals and travel makes it unaffordable to speak at book festivals.
Their small budget had to cover everything from staff costs to buying furniture.
He charged them rent in order to cover his mortgage payments.
Her godmother offered to cover her tuition fees.
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.
When soldiers or police officers cover a place such as a road or building, they are in a position from which they can watch and defend it:
All the exits are covered, so they can't escape.
to prevent a member of the opposing team from taking control of the ball by staying close to them all the time:
The Bullets kept assigning different players to cover him.
to do someone else's job or duty when they are absent:
cover something for someone I'm going to the doctor's tomorrow, so do you think you could cover my shift for me?
cover for Sorry, I'm already covering for someone else.
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.
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.
the stiff outside part of a book or magazine, usually made of thick paper or cardboard:
Who should we put on the cover of the magazine this month?
Paperback books have soft covers.
an envelope
shelter or protection in an unpleasant or dangerous situation:
take cover We took cover from the storm in a bus shelter.
under cover of The burglar broke into the house under cover of darkness.
plants, especially bushes, that are used as shelter by animals
protection by someone who has a gun:
cover from We needed more cover from the enemy aircraft.
financial protection so that you get money if something bad happens:
cover for I've got £20,000 worth of cover for the contents of my house.
Do you have cover for accidental damage?
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"?
in cricket, the position of a fielder (= a player who tries to stop the other team from scoring by stopping or catching the ball) which is in front of the batter (= the player hitting the ball) on the off side (= the side of the field opposite the side where the batter stands):
The ball was athletically fielded at cover.
He was caught at cover from a mistimed drive.
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.
If something covers an area of a particular size, it is equal to an area of that size:
Grand Canyon National Park covers over a million acres.
to travel a particular distance:
We covered 600 miles in the last two days.
fig. fig. Her lecture covered a lot of ground, from Renaissance art to modern art.
to deal with or include someone or something:
The travel guide covers all the museums and historic places.
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.
to be enough money to pay for:
Will $150 cover your expenses?
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.
to do a job or duty for someone who is absent:
Can you cover for me while I'm at the dentist on Monday?
to deal with or take care of something:
Could you cover the phones while I’m away from the office?
shelter or protection, esp. in a dangerous situation:
Folks heard the storm was coming and took cover.
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.
The cover of a book or magazine is the stiff, outside part of it, usually made of thick paper or cardboard.
A cover is also a layer of a material used to keep a person in bed warm:
[ pl ] On cold days, she pulled the covers up to her chin.
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?
to serve customers in a particular area:
Our delivery service covers the entire metropolitan area.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
the stiff outside part of a book or magazine:
She became the first woman to appear on the cover of Business Week.
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.
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.
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.