covert — English Dictionary

Adjective

1. Secret, surreptitious, concealed.

   Usage

   • Figurative

   Antonyms

   overt

   Examples

   covert operations

   how covert matters may be best disclosed

   More examples (3)

   whether of open war or covert guile

   If the President were to inform the Gang of Eight that he signed a covert action finding to overthrow the government of Canada, he would be required to tell others at least something about the finding.

   Such concerns were sharpened further by the continuing revelations about how the US National Security Agency (NSA) has been using algorithms to help it interpret the colossal amounts of data it has collected from its covert dragnet of international telecommunications.

2. Hidden, covered over; overgrown, sheltered.

   Usage

   • Archaic

   Examples

   Within that wood there was a covert glade, Foreby a narrow foord, to them well knowne […]

   to plant a covert alley

3. Under coverture.

   Usage

   • Historical

   Synonyms

   covert baron

   Examples

   feme covert

   […] a separate use for a woman cannot be created unless she is covert, or unless in immediate contemplation of her marriage.

   More examples (2)

   […] in the second case, as long as the woman is covert she cannot anticipate the income, and a mere alienation of her interest is not an attempt to anticipate.

   Being advised of the fact that the woman is covert, he stands charged with a knowledge of her disability . A married woman has no power to deal as principal if she is in fact a surety […]

Noun

1. A covering.

2. A disguise.

3. A hiding place.

4. Area of thick undergrowth where animals hide.

5. A feather that covers the bases of flight feathers.

   Examples

   More examples (1)

   When he felt the trappings being taken off him, so that he was in hunting order, Cully did make some movements as if to rouse. He raised his crest, his shoulder coverts and the soft feathers of his thighs.

Adjective

1. secret or hidden; not openly practiced or engaged in or shown or avowed

   Antonyms

   overt

   Examples

   covert actions by the CIA

   covert funding for the rebels

2. (of a wife) being under the protection of her husband

   Examples

   a woman covert

Noun

1. a flock of coots

   Broader terms

   flock

2. a covering that serves to conceal or shelter something

   Synonyms

   screencoverconcealment

   Broader terms

   covering

   Examples

   a screen of trees afforded privacy

   under cover of darkness

   More examples (2)

   the brush provided a covert for game

   the simplest concealment is to match perfectly the color of the background