cover up phrasal verb ( see also ↑ cover )
1 . cover something ↔ up to put something over something else so that it cannot be seen:
Her legs were so swollen she had to cover them up.
2 . cover something ↔ up to prevent people from discovering mistakes or unpleasant facts ⇨ whitewash :
The affair was covered up and never reached the papers.
Mum’s worried, but she covers it up by joking.
⇨ ↑ cover-up
3 . cover up for somebody to protect someone by hiding unpleasant facts about them:
They covered up for Kirk by refusing to answer any questions.
4 . to put clothes, ↑ blanket s etc over yourself in order to protect or hide your body, or to keep yourself warm:
Cover up, or stay out of the sun.
cover yourself up
Hastily, she covered herself up with the towel.