cover-up

1.名詞B2

釋義

隱瞞；掩飾

隱瞞罪行或錯誤的行為

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.

例句

The governor's office organized a cover-up that kept the funding scandal hidden for almost two years.

州長辦公室策劃了一場隱瞞行動，讓資金醜聞在將近兩年內都沒有被發現。

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.

三名記者因拒絕參與報社掩蓋非法錄音行為的計畫而失去工作。

同義詞

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

反義詞

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

❌The company tried to cover-up the data breach.

✅The company tried to cover up the data breach.

💡The hyphenated form is only used as a noun; as a verb phrase, write 'cover up' without a hyphen.

❌The cover-up about the accident failed.

✅The cover-up of the accident failed.

💡Use 'of' (not 'about') to introduce what was hidden.

cover-upbase form
cover-ups3rd person singular
cover-uping-ing form
cover-upedpast simple

1.片語動詞及物 / 不及物B1

釋義

穿上；加衣

穿上衣物以保暖或符合規定

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.

例句

The children covered up in thick coats and woollen hats before running out into the snowy garden.

孩子們穿上厚外套和毛帽，然後跑進雪白的花園裡。

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.

Amir 告訴兒子在這麼冷的早晨出門前要穿好衣服。

同義詞

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

反義詞

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

❌Cover yourself up with a jacket.

✅Cover up with a jacket.' or 'Cover yourself with a jacket.

💡The 'up' already conveys the idea of covering oneself fully, so 'yourself' is redundant.

❌She covered up her baby.

✅She covered the baby up.

💡When a specific person is the object, the separable form (cover [someone] up) is more natural.

2.片語動詞及物B1

釋義

蓋住；遮蓋

完全蓋住使之看不見或受保護

to place a material or object over something so that it is completely hidden from sight or protected.

例句

We covered up the garden furniture with a heavy waterproof sheet before the typhoon arrived.

我們在颱風來臨前用厚重的防水布蓋住了花園家具。

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.

Chen 用一塊大羊毛桌布蓋住了桌上的深色墨漬。

同義詞

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

反義詞

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

❌The government covered up the financial records.' (for physical hiding)

✅The government covered up the financial records.

💡This is actually correct if physically hiding documents. But if you mean concealing information from the public, use sense 3 (HIDE THE TRUTH).

❌She covered up the chair with a blanket and sat down.

✅She covered the chair with a blanket and sat down.

💡The 'up' is unnecessary when the covering is not done for protection or full concealment.

3.片語動詞及物B2

釋義

隱瞞；遮掩

刻意隱瞞錯誤或罪行

to deliberately prevent other people from knowing the truth about a mistake, a crime, or an embarrassing situation.

例句

The construction company tried to cover up the safety violations before the inspectors arrived on site.

那間建設公司試圖在檢查員抵達現場之前隱瞞安全違規的事實。

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.

政府官員被指控隱瞞將工廠與河川污染直接相關的證據。

同義詞

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

反義詞

reveal
to make hidden information known to others
expose
to uncover wrongdoing or hidden facts, often after an attempt to conceal them

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'.

常見錯誤

❌He covered up his face with a mask.' (when meaning to hide his identity)

✅He covered his face with a mask.

💡If the goal is physical concealment of a body part, use sense 2 (ADD LAYERS OF CLOTHING) without 'up', or sense 3 for a non-clothing covering.

❌The politician covered up the truth.

✅The politician covered up the truth.

💡This is actually correct! But be careful: 'cover up' as a phrasal verb is written without a hyphen, whereas the noun form is 'cover-up'.

cover-up

cover-up — 名詞

1. a planned effort to stop the public, the authorities, or the media from learning

文法句型

用法筆記

常見錯誤

cover-up — 片語動詞

1. to put one or more pieces of clothing onto your body or someone else's body, esp

文法句型

用法筆記

常見錯誤

2. to place a material or object over something so that it is completely hidden fro

文法句型

用法筆記

常見錯誤

3. to deliberately prevent other people from knowing the truth about a mistake, a c

文法句型

用法筆記

常見錯誤