cover someone's ass

verb

To make preparations or take precautions to ensure that a person is not blamed or punished for his or her conduct.

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Meanings

verbcover someone's ass (third-person singular simple present covers someone's ass, present participle covering someone's ass, simple past and past participle covered someone's ass)

present singular third person covers someone's ass · participle present covering someone's ass · participle past covered someone's ass · past covered someone's ass

  1. CanadaUSidiomaticvulgarTo make preparations or take precautions to ensure that a person is not blamed or punished for his or her conduct.

    Killian kept the files because "he was trying to cover his ass," Via said. "He was always worried something would come back on him."

    2004 September 14, Jim Drinkard, Dave Moniz, “Secretary: Memos are forgeries”, in USA Today

Translations

Hebrew כיסה את התחת
  • כיסה את התחת (kisá et hatáḥat)ensure that a person is not blamed or punished
Italian pararsi il culo
  • pararsi il culoensure that a person is not blamed or punished
Spanish cubrirse las espaldas, cuidarse el pellejo
  • cubrirse las espaldasensure that a person is not blamed or punished
  • cuidarse el pellejoensure that a person is not blamed or punished
Cite this entry
APA

cover someone's ass. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cover%20someone's%20ass

MLA

“cover someone's ass.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cover%20someone's%20ass. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cover someone's ass,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cover%20someone's%20ass.

Source: cover someone's ass on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.