The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Cover \Cov"er\ (k?v"?r), 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.
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   2. Anything which veils or conceals; a screen; disguise; a
      cloak. "Under cover of the night." -- Macaulay.
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            A handsome cover for imperfections.   --Collier.
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   3. Shelter; protection; as, the troops fought under cover of
      the batteries; the woods afforded a good cover.
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            Being compelled to lodge in the field . . . whilst
            his army was under cover, they might be forced to
            retire.                               --Clarendon.
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   4. (Hunting) The woods, underbrush, etc., which shelter and
      conceal game; covert; as, to beat a cover; to ride to
      cover.
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   5. That portion of a slate, tile, or shingle, which is hidden
      by the overlap of the course above. --Knight.
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   6. (Steam Engine) The lap of a slide valve.
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   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.
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   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.
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            Letters . . . dispatched under cover to her
            ladyship.                             --Thackeray.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Cover \Cov"er\ (k?v"?r), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Covered (-?rd);
   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.
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   2. To envelop; to clothe, as with a mantle or cloak.
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            And with the majesty of darkness round
            Covers his throne.                    --Milton.
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            All that beauty than doth cover thee. --Shak.
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   3. To invest (one's self with something); to bring upon
      (one's self); as, he covered himself with glory.
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            The powers that covered themselves with everlasting
            infamy by the partition of Poland.    --Brougham.
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   4. To hide sight; to conceal; to cloak; as, the enemy were
      covered from our sight by the woods.
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            A cloud covered the mount.            --Exod. xxiv.
                                                  15.
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            In vain shou striv'st to cover shame with shame.
                                                  --Milton.
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   5. To brood or sit on; to incubate.
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            While the hen is covering her eggs, the male . . .
            diverts her with his songs.           --Addison.
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   6. To overwhelm; to spread over.
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            The waters returned and covered the chariots and the
            horsemen.                             --Ex. xiv. 28.
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   7. To shelter, as from evil or danger; to protect; to defend;
      as, the cavalry covered the retreat.
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            His calm and blameless life
            Does with substantial blessedness abound,
            And the soft wings of peace cover him round.
                                                  --Cowley.
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   8. To remove from remembrance; to put away; to remit.
      "Blessed is he whose is covered." --Ps. xxxii. 1.
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   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.
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   10. To put the usual covering or headdress on.
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             Cover thy head . . .; nay, prithee, be covered.
                                                  --Shak.
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   11. To copulate with (a female); to serve; as, a horse covers
       a mare; -- said of the male.
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   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.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Cover \Cov"er\, v. i.
   To spread a table for a meal; to prepare a banquet. [Obs.]
   --Shak.
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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

cover
    n 1: 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" [syn: screen, cover, covert,
         concealment]
    2: bedding that keeps a person warm in bed; "he pulled the
       covers over his head and went to sleep" [syn: blanket,
       cover]
    3: the act of concealing the existence of something by
       obstructing the view of it; "the cover concealed their guns
       from enemy aircraft" [syn: cover, covering, screening,
       masking]
    4: the protective covering on the front, back, and spine of a
       book; "the book had a leather binding" [syn: binding, book
       binding, cover, back]
    5: a natural object that covers or envelops; "under a covering
       of dust"; "the fox was flushed from its cover" [syn:
       covering, natural covering, cover]
    6: 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" [syn: top, cover]
    7: fire that makes it difficult for the enemy to fire on your
       own individuals or formations; "artillery provided covering
       fire for the withdrawal" [syn: cover, covering fire]
    8: a fixed charge by a restaurant or nightclub over and above
       the charge for food and drink [syn: cover charge, cover]
    9: a recording of a song that was first recorded or made popular
       by somebody else; "they made a cover of a Beatles' song"
       [syn: cover, cover version, cover song]
    10: a false identity and background (especially one created for
        an undercover agent); "her new name and passport are cover
        for her next assignment"
    v 1: 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" [ant: expose,
         uncover]
    2: form a cover over; "The grass covered the grave" [syn:
       cover, spread over]
    3: 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" [syn: cover, continue,
       extend]
    4: provide for; "The grant doesn't cover my salary"
    5: 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"
       [syn: cover, treat, handle, plow, deal, address]
    6: 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" [syn: embrace, encompass,
       comprehend, cover]
    7: travel across or pass over; "The caravan covered almost 100
       miles each day" [syn: traverse, track, cover, cross,
       pass over, get over, get across, cut through, cut
       across]
    8: 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" [syn: report, cover]
    9: hold within range of an aimed firearm
    10: to take an action to protect against future problems; "Count
        the cash in the drawer twice just to cover yourself"
    11: hide from view or knowledge; "The President covered the fact
        that he bugged the offices in the White House" [syn:
        cover, cover up]
    12: protect or defend (a position in a game); "he covered left
        field"
    13: maintain a check on; especially by patrolling; "The second
        officer covered the top floor"
    14: protect by insurance; "The insurance won't cover this" [syn:
        cover, insure, underwrite]
    15: make up for shortcomings or a feeling of inferiority by
        exaggerating good qualities; "he is compensating for being a
        bad father" [syn: cover, compensate, overcompensate]
    16: invest with a large or excessive amount of something; "She
        covered herself with glory"
    17: help out by taking someone's place and temporarily assuming
        his responsibilities; "She is covering for our secretary who
        is ill this week"
    18: be sufficient to meet, defray, or offset the charge or cost
        of; "Is this enough to cover the check?"
    19: spread over a surface to conceal or protect; "This paint
        covers well"
    20: cover as if with a shroud; "The origins of this civilization
        are shrouded in mystery" [syn: shroud, enshroud, hide,
        cover]
    21: copulate with a female, used especially of horses; "The
        horse covers the mare" [syn: breed, cover]
    22: put something on top of something else; "cover the meat with
        a lot of gravy" [syn: overlay, cover]
    23: play a higher card than the one previously played; "Smith
        covered again"
    24: be responsible for guarding an opponent in a game
    25: sit on (eggs); "Birds brood"; "The female covers the eggs"
        [syn: brood, hatch, cover, incubate]
    26: clothe, as if for protection from the elements; "cover your
        head!" [syn: cover, wrap up]