Cover vs Defilade

When to use each in English, with meaning, register, and examples.

Cover

Top 1,000 (very common) A2 verb

Defilade

Formal Beyond 10,000 (less common)

Most formal: Defilade Most common: Cover

	Cover	Defilade
Pronunciation	🇬🇧 /["/ˈkʌvə(r)/","/ˈkʌvəz/","/ˈkʌvəd/","/ˈkʌvərɪŋ/"]/ 🇺🇸 /["/ˈkʌvər/","/ˈkʌvərz/","/ˈkʌvərd/","/ˈkʌvərɪŋ/"]/	🇬🇧 //ˈdɛfɪleɪd// 🇺🇸 //ˈdɛfɪleɪd//
Meaning	to put something over or on top of something else	A military term for protection from enemy fire by using terrain.
Example	Please cover the pot so that the food doesn't get cold.	The squad took up a defilade position behind the boulder.
Register	Neutral	Formal
How common	Top 1,000 (very common)	Beyond 10,000 (less common)
CEFR level	A2	-
Part of speech	verb
Collocations	completely, entirely, loosely, try to, use something to, with, completely, in, with, completely, in, with, barely, hardly, help (to), be intended to, be extended to, barely, hardly, help (to), be intended to, be extended to, against, for	take a defilade position, use defilade effectively, identify defilade areas
Antonyms	uncover, reveal	exposure, vulnerability
Common mistakes	Confused with 'discover' — forgetting that 'cover' means to place something over., Using as a noun without context — 'the cover' can be unclear without specifying what is covered., Wrong verb form — using 'covering' when the simple present 'covers' is needed.	Confused with 'deflect', which means to turn aside., Mistaken for a synonym of 'defend', which has a broader meaning., Used incorrectly in civilian contexts outside military discussions.
Usage notes	Use 'cover' when talking about hiding or protecting something. It can be both physical (like a blanket) and metaphorical (like a topic). Avoid using in very formal writing.	Commonly used in military contexts to describe positions of cover; not used in everyday conversation.

See it in real clips

Grab some cover and put some fire on that crew.

Peaky Blinders › S1 E1

They were buying a stallion to cover their mares.

Stranger Things › S1 E1

This will be on the test, which will cover chapters 10 through 12.

Grab some cover and put some fire on that crew.

Peaky Blinders › S1 E1

They were buying a stallion to cover their mares.

Cover

That should give you complete defilade from that machine-gun position.

Defilade

Frequently asked questions: Cover vs Defilade

What's the difference between Cover and Defilade?

Cover: to put something over or on top of something else Defilade: A military term for protection from enemy fire by using terrain.

Which is more formal: Cover and Defilade?

Defilade is the most formal of these.

Which is more common: Cover and Defilade?

Cover is the most common in everyday English.

Can you show an example of each?

Cover: Please cover the pot so that the food doesn't get cold. Defilade: The squad took up a defilade position behind the boulder.

Can I use Cover and Defilade interchangeably?

Not always. Cover and Defilade are related and overlap in some contexts, but they differ in register, how common they are, and usage, so swapping one for another can change the meaning or tone. Check the differences above before substituting.