–noun

1.	the interval of light between two successive nights; the time between sunrise and sunset: Since there was no artificial illumination, all activities had to be carried on during the day.

2.	the light of day; daylight: The owl sleeps by day and feeds by night.

3.

Astronomy. a. Also called mean solar day. a division of time equal to 24 hours and representing the average length of the period during which the earth makes one rotation on its axis. b. Also called solar day. a division of time equal to the time elapsed between two consecutive returns of the same terrestrial meridian to the sun. c. Also called civil day. a division of time equal to 24 hours but reckoned from one midnight to the next. Compare lunar day, sidereal day.

4.	an analogous division of time for a planet other than the earth: the Martian day.

5.	the portion of a day allotted to work: an eight-hour day.

6.	a day on which something occurs: the day we met.

7.	(often initial capital letter) a day assigned to a particular purpose or observance: New Year's Day.

8.	a time considered as propitious or opportune: His day will come.

9.	a day of contest or the contest itself: to win the day.

10.	Often, days. a particular time or period: the present day; in days of old.

11.	Usually, days. period of life or activity: His days are numbered.

12.	period of existence, power, or influence: in the day of the dinosaurs.

13.	light 1 (def. 19a).

—Idioms

14.	call it a day, to stop one's activity for the day or for the present; quit temporarily: After rewriting the paper, she decided to call it a day.

15.	day in, day out, every day without fail; regularly: They endured the noise and dirt of the city day in, day out. Also, day in and day out.

–noun

1.	a piece of furniture upon which or within which a person sleeps, rests, or stays when not well.

2.	the mattress and bedclothes together with the bedstead of a bed.

3.	the bedstead alone.

4.	the act of or time for sleeping: Now for a cup of cocoa and then bed.

5.	the use of a bed for the night; lodging: I reserved a bed at the old inn.

6.	the marital relationship.

7.	any resting place: making his bed under a tree.

8.	something resembling a bed in form or position.

9.	a piece or area of ground in a garden or lawn in which plants are grown.

10.	an area in a greenhouse in which plants are grown.

11.	the plants in such areas.

12.	the bottom of a lake, river, sea, or other body of water.

13.	a piece or part forming a foundation or base.

14.	a layer of rock; a stratum.

15.	a foundation surface of earth or rock supporting a track, pavement, or the like: a gravel bed for the roadway.

16.	Building Trades. a. the underside of a stone, brick, slate, tile, etc., laid in position. b. the upper side of a stone laid in position 3e8 . c. the layer of mortar in which a brick, stone, etc., is laid. d. the natural stratification of a stone: a stone laid on bed.

17.	Furniture. skirt (def. 6b).

18.	the flat surface in a printing press on which the form of type is laid.

19.	Transportation. the body or, sometime b63 s, the floor or bottom of a truck or trailer.

20.	Chemistry. a compact mass of a substance functioning in a reaction as a catalyst or reactant.

21.	Sports. a. the canvas surface of a trampoline. b. the smooth, wooden floor of a bowling alley. c. the slate surface of a billiard table to which the cloth is fastened.

22.	Zoology. flesh enveloping the base of a claw, esp. the germinative layer beneath the claw.

23.	Also called mock, mock mold. Shipbuilding. a shaped steel pattern upon which furnaced plates for the hull of a vessel are hammered to shape.

24.	bed and board.

–verb (used with object)

25.	to provide with a bed.

26.	to put to bed.

27.	Horticulture. to plant in or as in a bed.

28.	to lay flat.

29.	to place in a bed or layer: to bed oysters.

30.	to embed, as in a substance: bedding the flagstones in concrete.

31.	to take or accompany to bed for purposes of sexual intercourse.

–verb (used without object)

32.	to have sleepin 377 g accommodations: He says we can bed there for the night.

33.	Geology. to form a compact layer or stratum.

34.	(of a metal structural part) to lie flat or close against another part.

35.	Archaic. to go to bed.

—Verb phrase

36.	bed down, a. to make a bed for (a person, animal, etc.). b. to retire to bed: They put out the fire and decided to bed down for the night.

—Idioms

37.	get up on the wrong side of the bed, to be irritable or bad-tempered from the start of a day: Never try to reason with him when he's gotten up on the wrong side of the bed.

38.	go to bed, a. to retire, esp. for the night. b. to engage in sexual relations.

39.	go to bed with, to have sexual intercourse with.

40.	in bed, a. beneath the covers of a bed. b. engaged in sexual intercourse.

41.	jump or get into bed with, to form a close, often temporary, alliance, usually with an unlikely ally: Industry was charged with jumping into bed with labor on the issue.

42.	make a bed, to fit a bed with sheets and blankets.

43.	make one's bed, to be responsible for one's own actions and their results: You've made your bed—now lie in it.

44.	put to bed, a. to help (a child, invalid, etc.) go to bed. b. Printing. to lock up (forms) in a press in preparation for printing. c. to work on the preparation of (an edition of a newspaper, periodical, etc.) up to the time of going to press.

–verb (used with object)

1.	to be or serve as a covering for; extend over; rest on the surface of: Snow covered the fields.

2.	to place something over or upon, as for protection, concealment, or warmth.

3.	to provide with a covering or top: Cover the pot with a lid.

4.	to protect or conceal (the body, head, etc.) with clothes, a hat, etc; wrap.

5.	to bring upon (oneself): He covered himself with glory by his exploits.

6.	to hide from view; screen.

7.	to spread on or over; apply to: to cover bread with honey.

8.	to put all over the surface of: to cover a wall with paint.

9.	to in 5a8 clude, deal with, or provide for; address: The rules cover working conditions.

10.	to suffice to defray or meet (a charge, expense, etc.): Ten dollars should cover my expenses.

11.	to offset (an outlay, loss, liability, etc.).

12.	to achieve in distance traversed; pass or travel over: We covered 600 miles a day on our trip.

13.

Journalism. a. to act as a reporter or reviewer of (an event, a field of interest, a performance, etc.); have as an assignment: She covers sports for the paper. b. to publish or broadcast a report or reports of (a news item, a series of related events, etc.): The press covered the trial in great detail.

14.	to pass or rise over and 228 surmount or envelop: The river covered the town during the flood.

15.	Insurance. to insure against risk or loss.

16.	to shelter; protect; serve as a defense for.

17.	Milita eda ry. a. to be in line with by occupying a position directly before or behind. b. to protect (a soldier, force, or military position) during an expected period of ground combat by taking a position from which any hostile troops can be fired upon.

18.	to take temporary charge of or responsibility for in place of another: Please cover my phone while I'm out to lunch.

19.	to extend over; comprise: The book covers 18th-century England.

20.	to be assigned to or responsible for, as a territory or field of endeavor: We have two sales representatives covering the Southwest.

21.	to aim at, as with a pistol.

22.	to have within range, as a fortress does adjacent territory.

23.	to play a card higher than (the one led or previously played in the round).

24.	to deposit the equivalent of (money deposited), as in wagering.

25.	to accept the conditions of (a bet, wager, etc.).

26.	(in short selling) to purchase securities or commodities in order to deliver them to the broker from whom they were borrowed.

27.	Baseball. to take a position close to or at (a base) so as to catch a ball thrown to the base: The shortstop covered second on the attempted steal.

28.	Sports. to guard (an opponent on offense) so as to prevent him or her from scoring or carrying out his or her assignment: to cover a potential pass receiver.

29.	(esp. of a male animal) to copulate with.

30.	(of a hen) to brood or sit on (eggs or chicks).

–verb (used without object)

31.	Informal. to serve as a substitute for someone who is absent: We cover for the receptionist during lunch hour.

32.	to hide the wrongful or embarrassing action of another by providing an alibi or acting in the other's place: They covered for him when he missed roll call.

33.	to play a card higher than the one led or previously played in the round: She led the eight and I covered with the jack.

34.	to spread over an area or surface, esp. for the purpose of obscuring an existing covering or of achieving a desired thickness and evenness: This paint is much too thin to cover.

–noun

35.	something that covers, as the lid of a container or the binding of a book.

36.	a blanket, quilt, or the like: Put another cover on the bed.

37.	protection; shelter; concealment.

38.	anything that veils, screens, or shuts from sight: under cover of darkness.

39.	woods, underbrush, etc., serving to shelter and conceal wild animals or game; a covert.

40.	Ecology. vegetation that serves to protect or conceal animals, such as birds, from excessive sunlight, from drying, or from predators.

41.	a set of eating utensils and the like, as plate, knife, fork, and napkin, placed for each person at a table.

42.	an assumed identity, occupation, or business that masks the true or real one: His job at the embassy was a cover for his work as a spy.

43.	a covering of snow, esp. when suitable for skiing.

44.	a pretense; feigning.

45.	a person who substitutes for another or stands ready to substitute if needed: She was hired as a cover for six roles at the opera house.

46.	cover charge.

47.	Philately. a. an envelope or outer wrapping for mail. b. a letter folded so that the address may be placed on the outside and the missive mailed.

48.	Finance. funds to cover liability or secure against risk of loss.

49.	Music. cover version.

50.	Also called cove 22f ring. Mathematics. a collection of sets having the property that a given set is contained in the union of the sets in the collection.

—Verb phrase

51.	cover up, a. to cover completely; enfold. < 3e8 td>to keep secret; conceal: She tried to cover up her part in the plot. b.

—Idioms

52.	blow one's cover, to divulge one's secret identity, esp. inadvertently: The TV news story blew his carefully fabricated cover.

53.	break cover, to emerge, esp. suddenly, from a place of concealment: The fox broke cover and the chase was on.

54.	cover one's ass, Slang: Vulgar. to take measures that will prevent one from suff bba ering blame, loss, harm, etc.

55.	take cover, to seek shelter or safety: The hikers took cover in a deserted cabin to escape the sudden storm.

56.	under cover, a. clandestinely; secretly: Arrangements for the escape were made under cover. b. within an envelope: The report will be mailed to you under separate cover.