n. 1. Anything which is laid, set, or spread, upon, about, or over, another thing; an envelope; a lid; as, the cover of a book. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Anything which veils or conceals; a screen; disguise; a cloak. “Under cover of the night.” Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

A handsome cover for imperfections. Collier. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Shelter; protection; as, the troops fought under cover of the batteries; the woods afforded a good cover. [ 1913 Webster ]

Being compelled to lodge in the field . . . whilst his army was under cover, they might be forced to retire. Clarendon. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Hunting) The woods, underbrush, etc., which shelter and conceal game; covert; as, to beat a cover; to ride to cover. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. That portion of a slate, tile, or shingle, which is hidden by the overlap of the course above. Knight. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. (Steam Engine) The lap of a slide valve. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. [ Cf. F. couvert. ] A tablecloth, and the other table furniture; esp., the table furniture for the use of one person at a meal; as, covers were laid for fifty guests. [ 1913 Webster ]

To break cover, to start from a covert or lair; -- said of game. --
Under cover, in an envelope, or within a letter; -- said of a written message. [ 1913 Webster ]

Letters . . . dispatched under cover to her ladyship. Thackeray. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Covered p. pr. & vb. n. Covering. ] [ OF. covrir, F. couvrir, fr. L. cooperire; co- + operire to cover; probably fr. ob towards, over + the root appearing in aperire to open. Cf. Aperient, Overt, Curfew. ] 1. To overspread the surface of (one thing) with another; as, to cover wood with paint or lacquer; to cover a table with a cloth. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To envelop; to clothe, as with a mantle or cloak. [ 1913 Webster ]

And with the majesty of darkness round
Covers his throne. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

All that beauty than doth cover thee. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To invest (one's self with something); to bring upon (one's self); as, he covered himself with glory. [ 1913 Webster ]

The powers that covered themselves with everlasting infamy by the partition of Poland. Brougham. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To hide sight; to conceal; to cloak; as, the enemy were covered from our sight by the woods. [ 1913 Webster ]

A cloud covered the mount. Exod. xxiv. 15. [ 1913 Webster ]

In vain shou striv'st to cover shame with shame. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. To brood or sit on; to incubate. [ 1913 Webster ]

While the hen is covering her eggs, the male . . . diverts her with his songs. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. To overwhelm; to spread over. [ 1913 Webster ]

The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen. Ex. xiv. 28. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. To shelter, as from evil or danger; to protect; to defend; as, the cavalry covered the retreat. [ 1913 Webster ]

His calm and blameless life
Does with substantial blessedness abound,
And the soft wings of peace cover him round. Cowley. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. To remove from remembrance; to put away; to remit. “Blessed is he whose is covered.” Ps. xxxii. 1. [ 1913 Webster ]

9. To extend over; to be sufficient for; to comprehend, include, or embrace; to account for or solve; to counterbalance; as, a mortgage which fully covers a sum loaned on it; a law which covers all possible cases of a crime; receipts than do not cover expenses. [ 1913 Webster ]

10. To put the usual covering or headdress on. [ 1913 Webster ]

Cover thy head . . . ; nay, prithee, be covered. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

11. To copulate with (a female); to serve; as, a horse covers a mare; -- said of the male. [ 1913 Webster ]

To cover ground or
To cover distance, to pass over; as, the rider covered the ground in an hour. --
To cover one's short contracts (Stock Exchange), to buy stock when the market rises, as a dealer who has sold short does in order to protect himself. --
Covering party (Mil.), a detachment of troops sent for the protection of another detachment, as of men working in the trenches. --
To cover into, to transfer to; as, to cover into the treasury.

Syn. -- To shelter; screen; shield; hide; overspread. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To spread a table for a meal; to prepare a banquet. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. the range of items covered. Coverage may be small (narrow coverage }, or large (broad coverage or wide coverage). [ PJC ]

2. The aggregate of risks covered by the terms of a contract of insurance. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

3. the state of being insured; insurance. [ PJC ]

4. the areas reached by a radio transmission signal, or group of people reached by a communications medium, such as television or a newspaper. [ PJC ]

5. the range of topics treated in a discourse or document, or the depth to which a subject is discussed; as, a news program may have extensive coverage of an event. “gavel-to-gavel coverage of the Democratic convention.” [ PJC ]

6. the news as presented by reporters for newspapers or radio of television; as, they accused the paper of biased coverage of race relations.
Syn. -- reporting, reportage. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. a loose-fitting one-piece garment that is worn over other clothing, especially one with trouser-like pants legs. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

n. [ See Kerchief. ] A covering for the head. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OF. covercle, F. couvercle, fr. L. cooperculum fr. cooperire. See cover ] A small cover; a lid. [ Obs. ] Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

. A catch crop planted, esp. in orchards. as a protection to the soil in winter, as well as for the benefit of the soil when plowed under in spring. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

a. Under cover; screened; sheltered; not exposed; hidden. [ 1913 Webster ]

Covered way (Fort.), a corridor or banquette along the top of the counterscarp and covered by an embankment whose slope forms the glacis. It gives the garrison an open line of communication around the works, and a standing place beyond the ditch. See Illust. of Ravelin. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who, or that which, covers. [ 1913 Webster ]