cover for

1. Also, cover up for . Conceal a wrongdoing or wrongdoer, as in Bill was supposed to be on duty but went to a ballgame and Alan agreed to cover for him or I covered up for my friend when her mother called to find out where she was . [1960s] Also see cover up , def. 2.

2. Substitute for someone, act on someone's behalf, as in Mary was asked to cover for Joe while he was on jury duty . [c. 1970]

3. cover for something . Provide protection against some hazard, as in This policy covers the house for fire but not for theft . This idiom employs the verb to cover in the sense of “protect” or “shield,” a usage dating from the 13th century.

Example Sentences

By the end the left-hander, who could make a Test debut in New Zealand later this month, was elegantly driving seamer Romario Shepherd over extra cover for six.

From BBC

Cronin might have done him a bigger favor covering for him with his father.

From Los Angeles Times

Israel claims Hezbollah “is using the IHS as a cover for terrorist activities” and that those killed were carrying out military roles - but that is denied by the IHS.

From BBC

He also outlined a new life insurance cover for anti-poaching rangers, who he described as "guardians of our planet's most precious resources".

From BBC

And hospitals said covering for strike days and sickness had also been factors.

From BBC

Related Words

• advocate
• argue
• assert
• back
• champion
• endorse
• explain
• guarantee
• justify
• maintain
• stand by
• support
• uphold