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# covering

«covering» in Mova's school dictionary: **a layer of something that lies on or over something else** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (a covering, coverings); verb form (covering — the -ing form of cover)

### meaning for a pupil

1) A covering is a layer of something that lies on or over something else. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/covering/#m1)

2) A covering is something you use to cover or protect something, such as a sheet, lid or curtain. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/covering/#m2)

3) Covering (verb) means putting something over, hiding, protecting, dealing with a topic, or doing someone else's job for a while. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/covering/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

In weather and nature: «a light covering of snow», «a covering of fur». At home: floor coverings (carpets, rugs), wall coverings. In school: «covering a topic» means teaching it; a «cover teacher» is covering for someone who is away. Phrases: «a thin covering», «covering for someone» (also: hiding someone's mistake), «covering up».

### examples

- There was a light covering of snow on the playground. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/covering/#x1)
- Animals in the Arctic have a thick covering of fur. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/covering/#x2)
- Put a covering over the paint pots so they don't dry out. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/covering/#x3)
- Mr Lee is covering our class while Mrs Day is ill. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/covering/#x4)
- We are covering fractions this week. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/covering/#x5)
- The skin is the body's covering. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/covering/#x6)
- Never keep covering for a friend who is in danger — tell an adult. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/covering/#x7)
- Covering their heads with their blankets, they sat trembling with fear. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/covering/#x8)

### note

Countable as a noun: coverings. «Covering for» someone can be kind (doing their job) or dishonest (hiding what they did) — the sentence tells you which. «Cover-up» is hiding the truth.

### In the corpora

- [Birds need about ten to twelve hours of sleep, so covering part of the cage at night helps.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/64-birds-reptiles-and-choosing-a-pet/12/)
- [Loyalty to a friend does not mean lying for them; covering up can let harm go on and drags you into the trouble.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/195-why-people-lie/15/)
- [Cleaning a cut stops infection, and covering it keeps dirt out.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/210-first-aid-medicine-and-sun/9/)
- [Mosquitoes come out in the evening; covering your arms and legs and using repellent keeps them off.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/238-bites-and-things-you-find/1/)
- [Loyalty does not mean lying for a friend; covering up can let harm continue and drags you into the trouble too.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/277-covering-up-false-alarms-and-fair-play/8/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «covering» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/covering/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.