cover

cover

synonyms, antonyms, definitions, examples & translations of cover in English

English Online Dictionary. What means cover‎? What does cover mean?

English

Etymology

    From Middle English coveren, borrowed from Old French covrir, cueuvrir (modern French couvrir), from Late Latin coperire, from Latin cooperiō (“I cover completely”), from co- (intensive prefix) + operiō (“I close, cover”). Displaced native Middle English thecchen and bethecchen (“to cover”) (from Old English þeccan, beþeccan (“to cover”)), Middle English helen, (over)helen, (for)helen (“to cover, conceal”) (from Old English helan (“to conceal, cover, hide”)), Middle English wrien, (be)wreon (“to cover”) (from Old English (be)wrēon (“to cover”)), Middle English hodren, hothren (“to cover up”) (from Low German hudren (“to cover up”)).

    According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the original sense of the verb and noun cover was “hide from view” as in its cognate covert. Except in the limited sense of “cover again”, the word recover is unrelated and is cognate with recuperate. Cognate with Spanish cubrir (“to cover”).

    Pronunciation

    • (General American) IPA(key): /ˈkʌvɚ/
    • (Received Pronunciation, Southern England) IPA(key): /ˈkʌvə/
    • (Northern England) IPA(key): /ˈkʊvə/
    • (Scotland, Northern Ireland) IPA(key): /ˈkʌvəɹ/
    • (Ireland) IPA(key): /ˈkʊvəɹ/
    • (General Australian, New Zealand) IPA(key): /ˈkɐvə/
    • Rhymes: -ʌvə(ɹ)

    Noun

    cover (countable and uncountable, plural covers)

    1. A lid.
    2. (uncountable) Area or situation which screens a person or thing from view.
    3. The front and back of a book, magazine, CD package, etc.
    4. The top sheet of a bed.
    5. A cloth or similar material, often fitted, placed over an item such as a car or sofa or food to protect it from dust, rain, insects, etc. when not being used.
    6. A cover charge.
    7. A setting at a restaurant table or formal dinner.
    8. (music) A new performance or rerecording of a previously recorded song; a cover version; a cover song.
    9. (cricket) A fielding position on the off side, between point and mid off, about 30° forward of square; a fielder in this position.
    10. (cricket) A tarpaulin or other device used to cover the wicket during rain, to prevent it getting wet.
    11. (combinatorics, topology) A collection (or family) of subsets of a given set, whose union contains every element of said original set.
      Hyponyms: exact cover, partition
    12. (philately) An envelope complete with stamps and postmarks etc.
    13. (military) A solid object, including terrain, that provides protection from enemy fire.
    14. (law) In commercial law, a buyer’s purchase on the open market of goods similar or identical to the goods contracted for after a seller has breached a contract of sale by failure to deliver the goods contracted for.
    15. (insurance) An insurance contract; coverage by an insurance contract.
    16. (espionage) A persona maintained by a spy or undercover operative; cover story.
    17. (dated) A swindler's confederate.
    18. The portion of a slate, tile, or shingle that is hidden by the overlap of the course above.
    19. In a steam engine, the lap of a slide valve.
    20. (construction) The distance between reinforcing steel and the exterior of concrete.

    Derived terms

    Descendants

    • → Hijazi Arabic: كَڤَر (kavar)
    • → Portuguese: cover

    Translations

    Adjective

    cover (not comparable)

    1. Of or pertaining to the front cover of a book or magazine.
    2. (music) Of, pertaining to, or consisting of cover versions.

    Translations

    Verb

    cover (third-person singular simple present covers, present participle covering, simple past and past participle covered)

    1. (transitive) To place something over or upon, as to conceal or protect.
    2. (transitive) To be over or upon, as to conceal or protect.
    3. (transitive) To be upon all of, so as to completely conceal.
    4. (transitive) To set upon all of, so as to completely conceal.
    5. (intransitive, dated) To put on one's hat.
    6. (transitive) To invest (oneself with something); to bring upon (oneself).
    7. To have under one’s scope or purview.
      1. (transitive, of a publication) To discuss thoroughly; to provide coverage of.
      2. (transitive) To deal with or include someone or something.
        • 2010 (publication date), "Contributors", Discover, ISSN 0274-7529, volume 32, number 1, January–February 2011, page 7:
          Richard Morgan covers science for The Economist, The New York Times, Scientific American, and Wired.
      3. (transitive) To have as an assignment or responsibility.
      4. (transitive) To provide insurance coverage for.
    8. (transitive) To be enough money for.
    9. (transitive) To supply with funds; to settle or pay the costs for; to foot the bill for.
    10. (intransitive) To act as a replacement.
    11. (transitive, broadcasting) To air or run locally originated material in place of network material during an internal spot break in a syndicated program.
    12. (music, transitive) To make a cover version of (a song that was originally recorded by another artist).
    13. To protect, to guard.
      1. (transitive) To protect from attack in general, to guard.
      2. (military, law enforcement, transitive) To protect using an aimed firearm and the threat of firing; or to protect using continuous, heaving fire at or in the direction of the enemy so as to force the enemy to remain in cover; or to threaten using an aimed firearm.
      3. (chess, transitive) To protect or control (a piece or square).
      4. (sports, transitive) To defend (mark) a particular player or area.
      5. (transitive) To provide an alibi for (someone); to provide excuses or apologia for (someone); to carry water for someone.
    14. (transitive) To copulate with (said of certain male animals such as dogs and horses).
      Synonym: impregnate
    15. (transitive) To extend over a given period of time or range, to occupy, to stretch over a given area.
    16. (transitive) To traverse or put behind a certain distance.
    17. (ambitransitive, dated) To arrange plates, etc. on (a table) in preparation for a meal.
      Synonyms: lay the table, set the table

    Quotations

    • For quotations using this term, see Citations:cover.

    Derived terms

    Descendants

    • → German: covern
    • → Danish: lave en cover

    Translations

    References

    Anagrams

    • Vorce, corve

    Dutch

    Etymology

    Borrowed from English cover.

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /ˈkɑ.vər/, /ˈkɔ.vər/
    • Hyphenation: co‧ver

    Noun

    cover m (plural covers, diminutive covertje n)

    1. a cover, cover song, cover version (rerecording of a previously recorded song, typically by a different artist)
    2. a cover, the front of a magazine or of the package of a storage medium

    Derived terms

    • coveren
    • coverversie

    Finnish

    Etymology

    Unadapted borrowing from English cover.

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /ˈkoʋer/, [ˈko̞ʋe̞r]
    • IPA(key): /ˈkoʋeri/, [ˈko̞ʋe̞ri]
    • Rhymes: -oʋer

    Noun

    cover

    1. cover, cover version, cover song (rerecording of a previously recorded song)
      Synonyms: coverversio, koveri, lainakappale

    Declension

    Derived terms

    Further reading

    • “cover”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎[2] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02

    French

    Etymology

    Borrowed from English cover.

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /kɔ.vœʁ/

    Noun

    cover m (plural covers)

    1. (colloquial) cover (rerecording)

    German

    Pronunciation

    Verb

    cover

    1. inflection of covern:
      1. first-person singular present
      2. singular imperative

    Middle English

    Alternative forms

    • covere, kever

    Etymology

    Borrowed from Old French covert, and was influenced by coveren.

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /ˈkuvər/

    Noun

    cover (plural covers)

    1. Something that covers.

    Related terms

    • coveren

    Descendants

    • English: cover

    References

    • “cǒver, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

    Polish

    Etymology

    Unadapted borrowing from English cover.

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /ˈkɔ.vɛr/, /ˈka.vɛr/
    • Rhymes: -ɔvɛr, -avɛr
    • Syllabification: co‧ver

    Noun

    cover m inan

    1. (music) cover version (rerecording of a song)

    Declension

    Further reading

    • cover in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
    • cover in Polish dictionaries at PWN

    Portuguese

    Etymology

    Unadapted borrowing from English cover.

    Pronunciation

    • Hyphenation: co‧ver

    Noun

    cover m or (rare) f (plural coveres)

    1. (music) cover version (rerecording of a song by another musician or group)
      Synonym: versão cover

    Noun

    cover m or f by sense (plural coveres)

    1. impersonator (an entertainer whose act is based upon performing impressions of others)
      Ele é cover do Elvis Presley. ― He is an Elvis Presley impersonator.

    Further reading

    • “cover”, in Dicio – Dicionário Online de Português (in Portuguese), Porto: 7Graus, 2009–2025
    • “cover”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2025

    Spanish

    Etymology

    Unadapted borrowing from English cover.

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /ˈkobeɾ/ [ˈko.β̞eɾ]
    • Rhymes: -obeɾ
    • Syllabification: co‧ver

    Noun

    cover m (plural covers)

    1. (music) cover, cover version
      Synonym: versión

    Usage notes

    • According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.

    Swedish

    Etymology

    Borrowed from English cover.

    Noun

    cover c

    1. (music) cover, cover song

    Usage notes

    The plural of this word could also be covers.

    Declension

    Derived terms

    • coverband

    References

    • cover in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)

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    Related Words

    recovery

    recovered

    recover

    hardcover

    discovery

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    This article based on an article on Wiktionary. The list of authors can be seen in the page history there. The original work has been modified. This article is distributed under the terms of this license.