marked by unjust severity or arbitrary behavior; "the oppressive government"; "oppressive laws"; "a tyrannical parent"; "tyrannous disregard of human rights"
weighing heavily on the senses or spirit; "the atmosphere was oppressive"; "oppressive sorrows"
the quality of being difficult; "they agreed about the difficulty of the climb"
a factor causing trouble in achieving a positive result or tending to produce a negative result; "serious difficulties were encountered in obtaining a pure reagent"
a condition or state of affairs almost beyond one's ability to deal with and requiring great effort to bear or overcome; "grappling with financial difficulties"
characterized by care and perseverance in carrying out tasks; "a diligent detective investigates all clues"; "a diligent search of the files"
quietly and steadily persevering especially in detail or exactness; "a diligent (or patient) worker"; "with persevering (or patient) industry she revived the failing business"
prevent the progress or free movement of; "He was hampered in his efforts by the bad weather"; "the imperialist nation wanted to strangle the free trade between the two small countries"
fire that makes it difficult for the enemy to fire on your own individuals or formations; "artillery provided covering fire for the withdrawal"
the act of concealing the existence of something by obstructing the view of it; "the cover concealed their guns from enemy aircraft"
a false identity and background (especially one created for an undercover agent); "her new name and passport are cover for her next assignment"
a recording of a song that was first recorded or made popular by somebody else; "they made a cover of a Beatles' song"
clothe, as if for protection from the elements; "cover your head!"
protect by insurance; "The insurance won't cover this"
maintain a check on; especially by patrolling; "The second officer covered the top floor"
deal with verbally or in some form of artistic expression; "This book deals with incest"; "The course covered all of Western Civilization"; "The new book treats the history of China"
hold within range of an aimed firearm
protect or defend (a position in a game); "he covered left field"
be responsible for guarding an opponent in a game
play a higher card than the one previously played; "Smith covered again"
form a cover over; "The grass covered the grave"
provide with a covering or cause to be covered; "cover her face with a handkerchief"; "cover the child with a blanket"; "cover the grave with flowers"
spread over a surface to conceal or protect; "This paint covers well"
hide from view or knowledge; "The President covered the fact that he bugged the offices in the White House"
be sufficient to meet, defray, or offset the charge or cost of; "Is this enough to cover the check?"
to take an action to protect against future problems; "Count the cash in the drawer twice just to cover yourself"
help out by taking someone's place and temporarily assuming his responsibilities; "She is covering for our secretary who is ill this week"
invest with a large or excessive amount of something; "She covered herself with glory"
make up for shortcomings or a feeling of inferiority by exaggerating good qualities; "he is compensating for being a bad father"
provide for; "The grant doesn't cover my salary"
span an interval of distance, space or time; "The war extended over five years"; "The period covered the turn of the century"; "My land extends over the hills on the horizon"; "This farm covers some 200 acres"; "The Archipelago continues for another 500 miles"
a conceptual whole made up of complicated and related parts; "the complex of shopping malls, houses, and roads created a new town"
(psychoanalysis) a combination of emotions and impulses that have been rejected from awareness but still influence a person's behavior
a compound described in terms of the central atom to which other atoms are bound or coordinated
complicated in structure; consisting of interconnected parts; "a complex set of variations based on a simple folk melody"; "a complex mass of diverse laws and customs"