INDEX:
1. to put something over, on, or around something else
2. to be on top of something
3. to be covered with something
4. something that is used to cover something else
5. a thin flat layer that covers a surface
RELATED WORDS
to deliberately hide facts or information : ↑ HIDE (8-10)
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1. to put something over, on, or around something else
▷ cover/cover up /ˈkʌvəʳ, ˌkʌvər ˈʌp/ [transitive verb]
to put something over, on, or around something else, in order to hide it, protect it, or improve its appearance :
▪ Prepare the salad, and cover it until it’s time to serve.
cover something with something
▪ She covered her face with her hands and ran upstairs.
cover up something
cover something completely
▪ She always wears a lot of make-up to cover up her spots.
cover something up
▪ They used special paint to cover up the cracks in the wall.
▷ put something over /ˌpʊt something ˈəʊvəʳ/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to put a cloth, piece of material loosely over the top of something in order to cover it :
▪ The stewardess gave him a blanket to put over his legs.
▪ Before you paint the walls, put some old sheets over the furniture.
▷ wrap up/wrap /ˌræp ˈʌp, ræp/ [transitive verb]
to put paper, plastic, cloth etc tightly around something in order to protect, decorate, or post it :
▪ Have you wrapped up all your Christmas presents yet?
wrap something (up) in something
▪ Ruth caught a sea bass and wrapped it up in paper to bring home to her cat.
▪ He wrapped the uneaten half of his sandwich in foil and put it in the refrigerator.
▷ coat /kəʊt/ [transitive verb]
to thinly cover the whole surface of something with something soft or liquid :
coat something with/in something
▪ A special machine coats the nuts with chocolate.
2. to be on top of something
▷ cover /ˈkʌvəʳ/ [transitive verb]
▪ Posters of Elvis covered practically the whole wall.
▪ Tropical rain forests cover 7 percent of the world’s surface.
▪ As you can see from the weather map, huge rain clouds are completely covering the South East.
▪ He was about fifty, with strands of fair hair covering a receding hair line.
▷ envelop /ɪnˈveləp/ [transitive verb] written
to cover something completely so that it is difficult to see or touch :
▪ The mist and rain enveloped the forest so that we could only see the nearest trees.
▪ At sunset, darkness enveloped the town.
3. to be covered with something
▷ be covered in/with/by /biː ˈkʌvəʳd ɪn, wɪð, baɪ/ [verb phrase]
if something is covered in, with, or by something, it has that substance lying all over the top of it or spread all over it :
▪ The ground was covered with snow.
▪ Look at your clothes! They’re covered in mud.
▪ His face was covered by a thick black beard with tiny flecks of gray in it.
▷ be coated in/with /biː ˈkəʊtə̇d ɪn, wɪð/ [verb phrase]
if an object is coated in or is coated with a liquid or soft substance, it has a layer of that substance all over its surface :
▪ Serve the chicken with new potatoes coated in butter.
▷ be encrusted in/with /biː ɪnˈkrʌstə̇d ɪn, wɪð/ [verb phrase] especially written
to be covered with something thick and hard that is difficult to remove :
▪ He took off his gloves, which were deeply encrusted with dirt.
mud/dirt/blood etc encrusted
covered with mud, dirt, blood etc
▪ Evan reached into the pocket of his mud-encrusted jacket and drew out a map.
▷ be plastered in/with /biː ˈplɑːstəʳd ɪn, wɪðǁ-ˈplæs-/ [verb phrase]
to be covered thickly with something such as mud, especially in a way that looks unpleasant :
▪ He looked at his garden tools, old and plastered with mud.
▪ Her face was plastered in make-up.
▷ be caked in/with /biː ˈkeɪkt ɪn, wɪð/ [verb phrase]
to be covered with something thick and hard, especially mud :
▪ The children were caked in mud from head to toe.
▪ When the police found him, his shoes were missing and his hands were caked with dried blood.
▷ be shrouded in mist/smoke etc /biː ˌʃrəʊdə̇d ɪn ˈmɪst/ [verb phrase]
be covered and hidden in mist etc -- used especially in literature :
▪ I looked back, but the shore was shrouded in mist.
4. something that is used to cover something else
▷ cover /ˈkʌvəʳ/ [countable noun]
a piece of paper, plastic, cloth etc that is used to cover something :
▪ It’s a good idea to buy a cover for your computer keyboard.
▪ She took the card out of its plastic cover.
record/book/CD etc cover
▪ There were old record covers scattered all over the floor.
covers
the sheets, blankets etc on a bed
▪ Patrick threw back the covers and hopped out of bed.
▷ covering /ˈkʌv ə rɪŋ/ [countable/uncountable noun]
something that is used to cover a large flat area, especially in order to protect it from damage, dirt etc :
▪ The insect’s shell gives it a tough protective covering.
▪ The prison cells have no electricity and no floor coverings.
▷ lid /lɪd/ [countable noun]
a flat part that fits on top of a container, a pan, a box etc in order to close it :
▪ a saucepan lid
▪ Annie, do you know where the lid for the garbage can is?
lid of
▪ Sam lifted the lid of his desk and took out a calculator.
▷ top/cap /tɒpǁtɑːp, kæp/ [countable noun]
a thing that fits on the top of a bottle, pen, or narrow container, that you press on or turn in order to close it :
▪ Why don’t you ever put the top back on the toothpaste?
▪ I can’t get the top off this bottle.
▪ Remove the gas cap by turning it twice to the left and then back to the right.
▷ wrapper /ˈræpəʳ/ [countable noun]
a piece of paper, or very thin plastic or metal, that covers food, chocolate etc when you buy it :
▪ chewing-gum wrappers
▪ The empty stadium was littered with burger wrappers and empty cans.
▷ wrapping /ˈræpɪŋ/ [countable/uncountable noun]
cloth, paper, or plastic that is wrapped around something to protect it :
▪ He undid the ribbons and tore at the paper wrapping.
▪ Torn Christmas wrapping littered the floor.
5. a thin flat layer that covers a surface
▷ layer /ˈleɪəʳ/ [countable noun]
a thin flat quantity of something that covers the whole of a surface :
layer of
▪ A layer of dust covered everything in the room.
▪ Sprinkle a layer of soil over the seeds.
▷ film /fɪlm/ [countable noun]
a very thin clear layer, especially of something liquid, that has formed on a surface :
film of oil/grease/sweat etc
▪ She wiped away the light film of sweat that had formed on her upper lip.
▷ coating /ˈkəʊtɪŋ/ [countable noun]
a layer of a liquid or soft substance that has been put on the surface of something, for example in order to protect it or make it taste better :
▪ Cassette tapes have a magnetic oxide coating.
coating of
▪ ice-cream with a thick coating of chocolate