undercover

Multiple Entries:
  undercover    cover  

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
undercover/ʌndəˈkʌvə(r)/

▶adjective & adverb involving secret work for investigation or espionage: an undercover operation.

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
cover/ˈkʌvə(r)/

▶verb

• 1 put something on top of or in front of (something) in order to protect or conceal it.

  ■ envelop in a layer of something.

• 2 extend over (an area).

• 3 deal with (a subject).

  ■ (of a rule or law) apply to.

• 4 travel (a specified distance).

• 5 (of money) be enough to pay (a cost).

  ■ (of insurance) protect against a liability, loss, or accident.

  ■ (cover oneself) take precautions against future blame or liability.

• 6 disguise or conceal.

  ■ (cover something up) try to hide or deny the fact of (a wrongful action).

  ■ (cover for) temporarily take over the job or role of.

• 7 aim a gun at.

  ■ protect (an exposed person) by shooting at the enemy.

  ■ (in team games) take up a position ready to defend against (an opponent).

  ■ Baseball be in position at (a base) ready to catch the ball.

• 8 Bridge play a higher card on (a high card).

• 9 record or perform a cover version of (a song).

• 10 (of a male animal, especially a stallion) copulate with (a female animal).

▶noun

• 1 something that covers or protects.

  ■ a thick protective outer part or page of a book or magazine.

  ■ (covers) bedclothes.

• 2 physical shelter: they ran for cover.

  ■ vegetation used as a shelter by hunted animals.

• 3 military support for someone in danger.

• 4 a means of concealing an illegal or secret activity.

  ■ an identity adopted by a spy to conceal their true activities.

• 5 Ecology the amount of ground covered by a vertical projection of the vegetation.

• 6 Brit. protection by insurance.

• 7 a place setting at a table in a restaurant.

• 8 Cricket short for cover point.

  ■ (the covers) an area of the field consisting of cover point and extra cover.

• 9 (also cover version) a recording or performance of a song previously recorded by a different artist.

– phrases
break cover suddenly leave a place of shelter when being hunted or pursued.
cover all the bases informal deal with something thoroughly.
cover one's back informal take steps to avoid attack or criticism.
cover one's tracks conceal evidence of one's actions.
cover the waterfront N. Amer. informal cover every aspect of something.
from cover to cover from beginning to end of a book or magazine.
take cover take shelter from an attack.
under cover under a roof or other shelter.
under cover of concealed by.

■ while pretending to do something.

under separate cover in a separate envelope.

– derivatives
coverable adjective,
covering noun.

– origin ME: from OFr. covrir, from L. cooperire, from co- + operire ‘to cover’; sense 7 of the noun from Fr. couvert.