cove

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈkōv 

1

: a recessed place : concavity: such as

a

: an architectural member with a concave cross section

b

: a trough for concealed lighting at the upper part of a wall

2

: a small sheltered inlet or bay

3

a

: a deep recess or small valley in the side of a mountain

b

: a level area sheltered by hills or mountains

cove

2 of 3

verb

coved; coving

transitive verb

: to make in a hollow concave form

cove

3 of 3

noun (2)

British, old-fashioned

: man, fellow

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• arm
• bay
• bight
• creek [chiefly British]
• embayment
• estuary
• firth
• fjord
• fiord
• gulf
• inlet
• loch [Scottish]

Examples of cove in a Sentence

Noun (1)

a secluded cove that smugglers once used

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Another woman replied that her husband saw the bear swimming in the lake and followed it by boat from the cove off Pinwhenny Road, which is on a peninsula just to the south of the Harbor Light Boulevard peninsula. —Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 7 June 2024

Opened in 1877, this stretch of track zooms along the beauteous Cornish coast, a treasure trove of coves, azure seas, white-sand beaches, and beautiful coastal towns once adored by the likes of novelist Virginia Woolf and other celebrities. —Luke Abrahams, Travel + Leisure, 3 June 2024

Gnarled trees behind the sand provide a modicum of shade and the cove is well protected for swimming. —Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 29 May 2024

The area in which the father and son had been was near an isolated cove on the same side of the lake as the North Anna Nuclear Generating Station, CBS affiliate WTVR reported. —Li Cohen, CBS News, 28 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, den, from Old English cofa; akin to Old High German chubisi hut

Noun (2)

Romani kova thing, person

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1756, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1567, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

cove

noun

ˈkōv

1

: a small sheltered inlet or bay

2

: a level area sheltered by hills or mountains