covert

UK: /ˈkʌvə^rt/

US: /adj. ˈkoʊvɚt, ˈkʌvɚt; n. ˈkʌvɚt, ˈkoʊvɚt/

US: (adj. kō′vərt, kuv′ərt; n. kuv′ərt, kō′vərt)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

co•vert /adj. ˈkoʊvɚt, ˈkʌvɚt; n. ˈkʌvɚt, ˈkoʊvɚt/   adj. 

1. concealed;
   secret;
   disguised:
   covert operations behind enemy lines.

n. [countable]

2. an area of trees or bushes giving shelter to game;
   thicket.

co•vert•ly, adv.: 

I glanced covertly at them while they argued.

co•vert•ness, n. [uncountable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

co•vert  (adj. kō′vərt, kuv′ərt; n. kuv′ərt, kō′vərt), adj. 

1. concealed;
   secret;
   disguised.
2. covered;
   sheltered.
3. Law (of a wife) under the protection of one's husband.

n. 

4. a covering;
   cover.
5. a shelter or hiding place.
6. concealment or disguise.
7. [Hunting.] a thicket giving shelter to wild animals or game.
8. Birds Also called tectrix. [Ornith.] one of the small feathers that cover the bases of the large feathers of the wings and tail. See diag. under bird. 
9. See covert cloth. 

• Latin coopertus, past participle of cooperīre to cover completely; see cover
• Anglo-French, Old French
• Middle English 1275–1325

co ′vert•ly, adv. 
co ′vert•ness, n. 
Synonyms

• 1. clandestine, surreptitious, furtive.

Pronunciation

Covert, related to cover, has historically been pronounced (kuv′ərt), with (u), the same stressed vowel found in cover. This (u) is the traditional and unchallenged vowel in many other English words spelled with stressed o followed by v, voiced th, or a nasal in the same syllable, words of high frequency like love and above, mother and other, some and honey. The adjective covert, however, by analogy with overt (ō vûrt′, ō′vərt), its semantic opposite, has developed the pronunciation (kō′vərt), perhaps because of the frequent coupling of the two terms in the news media. This is now the more common pronunciation for the adjective in American English, though not in British English, which retains the historical pronunciation. For the noun senses, less likely to appear in the news or to be contrasted with overt and its (ō) sound, the historical (kuv′ərt) remains the more frequent pronunciation.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

covert / ˈkʌvət/ adjective

1. concealed or secret

noun

1. a shelter or disguise
2. a thicket or woodland providing shelter for game
3. short for covert cloth
4. any of the small feathers on the wings and tail of a bird that surround the bases of the larger feathers

Etymology: 14th Century: from Old French: covered, from covrir to cover

ˈcovertly adverb