# take cover

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/take-cover
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To shelter oneself.

## Examples

- The rain started, so we had to take cover.
- When the storm sirens began to wail, the residents were instructed to take cover in their basements.
- As the artillery fire intensified across the valley, the soldiers were forced to take cover behind the crumbling stone walls of the abandoned farmhouse.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.