cover in WordNet English dictionary

1. act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression
   "This book deals with incest"; "The course covered all of Western Civilization"; "The new book treats the history of China"
   cover  treat  handle  plow  deal  address 
   
2. copulate with a female, used especially of horses
   "The horse covers the mare"
   breed  cover 
   
3. sit on (eggs)
   "Birds brood"; "The female covers the eggs"
   brood  hatch  cover  incubate 
   
4. make up for shortcomings or a feeling of inferiority by exaggerating good qualities
   "he is compensating for being a bad father"
   cover  compensate  overcompensate 
   
5. include in scope; include as part of something broader; have as one's sphere or territory
   "This group encompasses a wide range of people from different backgrounds"; "this should cover everyone in the group"
   embrace  encompass  comprehend  cover 
   
6. span an interval of distance, space or time
   "The war extended over five years"; "The period covered the turn of the century"; "My land extends over the hills on the horizon"; "This farm covers some 200 acres"; "The Archipelago continues for another 500 miles"
   cover  continue  extend 
   
7. clothe, as if for protection from the elements
   "cover your head!"
   cover  wrap up 
   
8. protect by insurance
   "The insurance won't cover this"
   cover  insure  underwrite 
   
9. be responsible for reporting the details of, as in journalism
   "Snow reported on China in the 1950's"; "The cub reporter covered New York City"
   report  cover 
   
10. maintain a check on; especially by patrolling
    "The second officer covered the top floor"
    cover 
    
11. protect or defend (a position in a game)
    "he covered left field"
    cover 
    
12. hold within range of an aimed firearm
    cover 
    
13. play a higher card than the one previously played
    "Smith covered again"
    cover 
    
14. be responsible for guarding an opponent in a game
    cover 
    
15. provide with a covering or cause to be covered
    "cover her face with a handkerchief"; "cover the child with a blanket"; "cover the grave with flowers"
    cover 
    
16. form a cover over
    "The grass covered the grave"
    cover  spread over 
    
17. cover as if with a shroud
    "The origins of this civilization are shrouded in mystery"
    shroud  enshroud  hide  cover 
    
18. put something on top of something else
    "cover the meat with a lot of gravy"
    overlay  cover 
    
19. travel across or pass over
    "The caravan covered almost 100 miles each day"
    traverse  track  cover  cross  pass over  get over  get across  cut through  cut across 
    
20. hide from view or knowledge
    "The President covered the fact that he bugged the offices in the White House"
    cover  cover up 
    
21. spread over a surface to conceal or protect
    "This paint covers well"
    cover 
    
22. be sufficient to meet, defray, or offset the charge or cost of
    "Is this enough to cover the check?"
    cover 
    
23. to take an action to protect against future problems
    "Count the cash in the drawer twice just to cover yourself"
    cover 
    
24. invest with a large or excessive amount of something
    "She covered herself with glory"
    cover 
    
25. help out by taking someone's place and temporarily assuming his responsibilities
    "She is covering for our secretary who is ill this week"
    cover 
    
26. provide for
    "The grant doesn't cover my salary"
    cover 
    

1. the protective covering on the front, back, and spine of a book
   "the book had a leather binding"
   binding  book binding  cover  back 
   
2. bedding that keeps a person warm in bed
   "he pulled the covers over his head and went to sleep"
   blanket  cover 
   
3. a covering that serves to conceal or shelter something
   "a screen of trees afforded privacy"; "under cover of darkness"; "the brush provided a covert for game"; "the simplest concealment is to match perfectly the color of the background"
   screen  cover  covert  concealment 
   
4. the act of concealing the existence of something by obstructing the view of it
   "the cover concealed their guns from enemy aircraft"
   cover  covering  screening  masking 
   
5. fire that makes it difficult for the enemy to fire on your own individuals or formations
   "artillery provided covering fire for the withdrawal"
   cover  covering fire 
   
6. a false identity and background (especially one created for an undercover agent)
   "her new name and passport are cover for her next assignment"
   cover 
   
7. a recording of a song that was first recorded or made popular by somebody else
   "they made a cover of a Beatles' song"
   cover  cover version  cover song 
   
8. covering for a hole (especially a hole in the top of a container)
   "he removed the top of the carton"; "he couldn't get the top off of the bottle"; "put the cover back on the kettle"
   top  cover 
   
9. a natural object that covers or envelops
   "under a covering of dust"; "the fox was flushed from its cover"
   covering  natural covering  cover 
   
10. a fixed charge by a restaurant or nightclub over and above the charge for food and drink
    cover charge  cover