(~s, ~ing, ~ed)
Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.
1.
If you ~ something, you place something else over it in order to protect it, hide it, or close it.
Cover the casserole with a tight-fitting lid...
He whimpered and ~ed his face...
Keep what’s left in a ~ed container in the fridge.
VERB: V n with n, V n, V-ed
2.
If one thing ~s another, it has been placed over it in order to protect it, hide it, or close it.
His finger went up to touch the black patch which ~ed his left eye...
His head was ~ed with a khaki turban.
VERB: V n, be V-ed with n
3.
If one thing ~s another, it forms a layer over its surface.
The clouds had spread and nearly ~ed the entire sky...
The desk was ~ed with papers...
VERB: V n, be V-ed with/in n
4.
To ~ something with or in something else means to put a layer of the second thing over its surface.
The trees in your garden may have ~ed the ground with apples, pears or plums...
VERB: V n with/in n
5.
If you ~ a particular distance, you travel that distance.
It would not be easy to ~ ten miles on that amount of petrol...
VERB: V n
6.
To ~ someone or something means to protect them from attack, for example by pointing a gun in the direction of people who may attack them, ready to fire the gun if necessary.
You go first. I’ll ~ you.
VERB: V n
7.
Cover is protection from enemy attack that is provided for troops or ships carrying out a particular operation, for example by aircraft.
They said they could not provide adequate air ~ for ground operations.
= protection
N-UNCOUNT
8.
Cover is trees, rocks, or other places where you shelter from the weather or from an attack, or hide from someone.
Charles lit the fuses and they ran for ~.
= shelter
N-UNCOUNT
9.
An insurance policy that ~s a person or thing guarantees that money will be paid by the insurance company in relation to that person or thing.
Their insurer paid the ?900 bill, even though the policy did not strictly ~ it...
You should take out travel insurance ~ing you and your family against theft.
VERB: V n, V n against n
10.
Insurance ~ is a guarantee from an insurance company that money will be paid by them if it is needed.
Make sure that the firm’s insurance ~ is adequate.
= protection
N-UNCOUNT
11.
If a law ~s a particular set of people, things, or situations, it applies to them.
The law ~s four categories of experiments...
VERB: V n
12.
If you ~ a particular topic, you discuss it in a lecture, course, or book.
The Oxford Chemistry Primers aim to ~ important topics in organic chemistry...
= deal with
VERB: V n
13.
If journalists, newspapers, or television companies ~ an event, they report on it.
Robinson was sent to Italy to ~ the 1990 World Cup...
VERB: V n
14.
If a sum of money ~s something, it is enough to pay for it.
Send it to the address given with ?1.50 to ~ postage and administration...
VERB: V n
15.
A ~ is something which is put over an object, usually in order to protect it.
...a family room with washable ~s on the furniture.
...a duvet ~.
N-COUNT: oft n N
16.
The ~s on your bed are the things such as sheets and blankets that you have on top of you.
= bedclothes
N-PLURAL: usu the N
17.
The ~ of a book or a magazine is the outside part of it.
...a small spiral-bound booklet with a green ~...
I used to read every issue from ~ to ~.
N-COUNT
18.
Something that is a ~ for secret or illegal activities seems respectable or normal, and is intended to hide the activities.
They set up a spurious temple that was a ~ for sexual debauchery...
As a ~ story he generally tells people he is a freelance photographer.
= front
N-COUNT: usu sing
19.
If you ~ for someone who is doing something secret or illegal, you give false information or do not give all the information you have, in order to protect them.
Why would she ~ for someone who was trying to kill her?
VERB: V for n
20.
If you ~ for someone who is ill or away, you do their work for them while they are not there.
She did not have enough nurses to ~ for those who went ill or took holiday.
VERB: V for n
21.
To ~ a song originally performed by someone else means to record a new version of it.
He must make a decent living from other artists ~ing his songs.
VERB: V n
22.
A ~ is the same as a ~ version .
The single is a ~ of an old Rolling Stones song.
N-COUNT: usu N of n
23.
see also ~ed , ~ing
24.
To blow someone’s ~ means to cause their true identity or the true nature of their work to be revealed. (INFORMAL)
The young man looked embarrassed, as if he were a spy whose ~ had been blown.
PHRASE: V inflects
25.
If you break ~, you leave a place where you have been hiding or sheltering from attack, usually in order to run to another place.
They began running again, broke ~ and dashed towards the road.
PHRASE: V inflects
26.
If you take ~, you shelter from gunfire, bombs, or the weather.
Shoppers took ~ behind cars as police marksmen returned fire.
= shelter
PHRASE: V inflects, oft PHR prep
27.
If you are under ~, you are under something that protects you from gunfire, bombs, or the weather.
‘Get under ~!’ shouted Billy, and we darted once more for the tables.
PHRASE: PHR after v, v-link PHR
28.
If you do something under ~ of a particular situation, you are able to do it without being noticed because of that situation.
They move under ~ of darkness.
PREP-PHRASE
29.
If you ~ your back or ~ your rear, you do something in order to protect yourself, for example against criticism or against accusations of doing something wrong.
The canny Premier ~ed his back by pointing out that he was of Scottish stock.
PHRASE: V inflects