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cover-up

noun

cov·​er-up ˈkə-vər-ˌəp How to pronounce cover-up (audio)
1
a
: a device or stratagem for masking or concealing
his garrulousness is a cover-up for insecurity
b
: a usually concerted effort to keep an illegal or unethical act or situation from being made public
2
: a loose outer garment

Examples of cover-up in a Sentence

that contrived burglary was just a cover-up for murder
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The documentary theory poses a theory that there has been a decades-long government cover-up of extraterrestrial intelligence. Marni Rose McFall, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Nov. 2025 The complaint, filed Monday, accuses several members of the Massachusetts State Police, the Boston Police Department and private citizens of orchestrating a cover-up following the death of Officer John O’Keefe, who was found dead outside a Canton home in January 2022. Michael Ruiz , Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 19 Nov. 2025 And then there’s a suspicion of the deep state, of the government, and this means cover-ups. Alex Hinton, The Conversation, 18 Nov. 2025 Epstein’s crimes, high-profile connections and jailhouse suicide have made the case a magnet for conspiracy theorists and online sleuths seeking proof of a cover-up. Jesse Bedayn, Fortune, 14 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cover-up

Word History

First Known Use

1927, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of cover-up was in 1927

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cover-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cover-up. Accessed 29 Nov. 2025.

Kids Definition

cover-up

noun
cov·​er-up
ˈkəv-ə-ˌrəp
: a planned effort to conceal a wrongful act or situation

More from Merriam-Webster on cover-up

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