cover
noun · adjective · verb
Simple meaning
The front and back of a book, magazine, CD package.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
kuhverSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈkʌvɚ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
The front and back of a book, magazine, CD package, etc.
uncountable
Area or situation which screens a person or thing from view.
A cloth or similar material, often fitted, placed over an item such as a car or sofa or food to protect it from dust, rain, insects, etc. when not being used.
The top sheet of a bed.
A setting at a restaurant table or formal dinner.
india
A bag or packet, especially a plastic one.
adjective
Of or pertaining to the front cover of a book or magazine.
verb
Protect or defend (a position in a game)
transitive
To place something over or upon, as to conceal or protect.
transitive
To set upon all of, so as to completely conceal.
transitive
To invest (oneself with something); to bring upon (oneself).
Include in scope; include as part of something broader; have as one's sphere or territory
To have under one's scope or purview.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner (estimated)
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The front and back of a book, magazine, CD package, etc.
Used this way, cover is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use cover
- “The President covered the fact that he bugged the offices in the White House.”verb
- “The caravan covered almost 100 miles each day.”verb
- “Cover her face with a handkerchief.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
Overlaid or spread or topped with or enclosed within something.
A natural object that covers or envelops.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A small and very thin piece of glass used to cover the specimen on a microscope slide.
A recording of a song that was first recorded or made popular by somebody else.
Concealment that attempts to prevent something scandalous from becoming public.
A recording of a song that was first recorded or made popular by somebody else.
A bridge whose passageway is protected by a roof and enclosing sides.
A litter with a cover for privacy.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: front and back of a book or magazine
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.