coverage

Everyday

1. The reporting of news or events on TV, radio, in newspapers or online: «live coverage of the match». tree →
2. How much of an area or surface is covered by something: «mobile phone coverage», «paint coverage». tree →
3. (money) What an insurance policy will pay for: «The insurance gives coverage for theft». tree →
4. How fully a topic or set of things is included: «The book has good coverage of the planets». tree →

In the lessons

In everyday life, children hear «no coverage» or «no signal» on phones in the countryside, and «live coverage» of the World Cup or Olympics. In media lessons, they compare news coverage from different sources. In maths and science, «coverage» can mean how much area paint or a map covers: one tin covers 10 square metres. Phrases: «live coverage», «news coverage», «media coverage», «phone coverage», «full coverage».

Examples

• The BBC had live coverage of the royal wedding. tree →
• There's no phone coverage in the mountains. tree →
• The match got lots of coverage in the newspapers. tree →
• One tin of paint gives coverage of about ten square metres. tree →
• The insurance coverage paid for the broken window. tree →
• The story didn't get much media coverage. tree →
• Our textbook has good coverage of the water cycle. tree →

Note

Uncountable: «much coverage», «a lot of coverage», never «a coverage». Said «KUV-er-ij». In maths problems about painting, coverage tells you area per tin: if one tin covers 12 square metres, a 36-square-metre wall needs 36 ÷ 12 = 3 tins.