cover-up
cover-up — noun
1. a planned effort to stop the public, the authorities, or the media from learning
a planned effort to stop the public, the authorities, or the media from learning the truth about a crime, a mistake, or an embarrassing event.
The governor's office organized a cover-up that kept the funding scandal hidden for almost two years.
organize a cover-up — actively plan to hide wrongdoing
Three reporters lost their jobs after refusing to take part in the newspaper's cover-up of illegal recording practices.
What began as a simple accounting error turned into a massive cover-up when directors ordered staff to delete the records.
The parliamentary committee found evidence of a systematic cover-up involving senior police officers and local politicians.
Fatima decided to become a whistle-blower after she realised the hospital's cover-up was putting patients' lives at risk.
- conspiracy
conspiracy implies a secret plan by a group for an illegal purpose, which may or may not involve concealment afterwards; a cover-up is specifically the hiding part
- whitewash
whitewash suggests presenting a bad situation as acceptable or even good, whereas a cover-up may simply hide the facts without re-framing them
- suppression
suppression is broader — it can mean stopping information from being published or spread, often by force or authority
- disclosure
disclosure is the deliberate act of making hidden information known to the public
文法句型
a cover-up of [noun]
organize a cover-up
expose a cover-up
用法筆記
Frequently found with verbs that describe the act of hiding (organise, orchestrate, arrange) or the act of revealing (expose, uncover, reveal, investigate). The plural form cover-ups is less common but used when referring to multiple separate instances.
常見錯誤
cover-up — phrasal verb
- cover-upbase form
- cover-ups3rd person singular
- cover-uping-ing form
- cover-upedpast simple
1. to put one or more pieces of clothing onto your body or someone else's body, esp
to put one or more pieces of clothing onto your body or someone else's body, especially to keep warm or to follow a dress code.
The children covered up in thick coats and woollen hats before running out into the snowy garden.
cover up + in [clothing items] — specify the garments
Amir told his son to cover up properly before leaving the house on such a cold morning.
Suki covered her shoulders up with a light scarf before entering the temple.
Elena covered the baby up with an extra blanket after noticing the room was draughty.
The bathers were asked to cover up before walking through the small coastal village.
- wrap up
wrap up suggests putting on warm or protective clothing in layers, very similar in meaning but slightly more informal
- dress warmly
dress warmly focuses on temperature protection, whereas cover up can also apply to modesty or dress codes
- take off
the reverse action — removing clothing
文法句型
cover up [noun]
cover [noun] up
cover up
用法筆記
When used transitively, the object can go between 'cover' and 'up' (cover the baby up) or after 'up' (cover up the baby). Intransitive use has no object (cover up before going outside). The sense is commonly used as an imperative or in weather-related and health-related advice.
常見錯誤
2. to place a material or object over something so that it is completely hidden fro
to place a material or object over something so that it is completely hidden from sight or protected.
We covered up the garden furniture with a heavy waterproof sheet before the typhoon arrived.
cover up + with [covering material] — pattern specifying what is used
Chen covered the dark ink stain on the table up with a large woollen tablecloth.
The archaeologists carefully covered up the ancient mosaic with a layer of sand so that digging could continue later.
Sofia covered her notebook up with a piece of blank paper so that her classmate would not copy her answers.
The gardeners covered up the young plants with a fine net to keep insects away.
- cover
cover without 'up' is more general and does not necessarily imply complete concealment or protection
- blanket
blanket suggests a thick, even layer over an entire surface, typically for insulation or protection
- shroud
shroud is more literary and suggests covering something completely, often to hide or protect it
- uncover
to remove a covering from something, revealing it
文法句型
cover up [noun]
cover [noun] up
cover up [noun] with [material]
用法筆記
The object is a physical thing that can be concealed or protected. This sense is not used metaphorically (for that, see sense 3 — HIDE THE TRUTH). The material used as a covering is typically introduced by 'with'.
常見錯誤
3. to deliberately prevent other people from knowing the truth about a mistake, a c
to deliberately prevent other people from knowing the truth about a mistake, a crime, or an embarrassing situation.
The construction company tried to cover up the safety violations before the inspectors arrived on site.
try to cover up [problem/evidence] — common collocation
Government officials were accused of covering up evidence that linked the factory directly to the river pollution.
Hiroto felt terrible about covering up his brother's mistake instead of telling their parents what had really happened.
No amount of careful editing could cover up the deep financial losses shown in the company's annual report.
The school tried to cover the bullying incident up by sending the students home without any official record.
- conceal
conceal is more formal and can apply to both physical objects and facts; cover up is slightly more informal and strongly implies deliberate deception
- hide
hide is more general and less formal; cover up carries a stronger sense of a systematic or organised effort to prevent discovery
- suppress
suppress implies using force or authority to prevent information from spreading, often by silencing people or destroying evidence
文法句型
cover up [noun]
cover [noun] up
try to cover up [noun]
用法筆記
The object is a fact, event, mistake, or piece of evidence — never a physical object in this sense. Distinguished from sense 2 (COVER OBJECT ENTIRELY) by the abstract nature of what is hidden. Frequently used with 'try to', 'attempt to', or 'refuse to'.