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 of cove

Noun (1)

• bay
• estuary

Examples of cove in a Sentence

Noun (1)

a secluded cove that smugglers once used

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Vis rewards slow exploration with short walks between coves and villages, Cinque Terre’s coastal paths can be tackled in single-day segments using the Cinque Terre Card, and the Wachau’s 22-mile Danube stretch can be broken into easy day hikes between baroque towns and vineyards. —Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 11 May 2026

The former is home to the legendary Hotel Il Pellicano and the hip new hotel La Roqqa, which has a plush beach club on a secluded cove. —Laura Itzkowitz, Travel + Leisure, 10 May 2026

Verb

There’s even a gelato boat that travels from cove to cove all day long. —Kristina Kasparian, Travel + Leisure, 15 Mar. 2026

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

1817, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1567, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for cove

• drove
• rove
• shrove
• stove
• strove
• throve
• trove
• wove
• alcove
• mangrove

Kids Definition

cove

noun

ˈkōv

1

: a small sheltered inlet or bay

2

: a level area sheltered by hills or mountains