Cool MateHide vs Tell the men to break cover
When to use each in English, with meaning, register, and examples.
Hide
Top 1,000 (very common)A2verb
Tell the men to break cover
Beyond 10,000 (less common)
Most common: Hide
| Hide | Tell the men to break cover | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | 🇬🇧 /["/haɪd/","/haɪdz/","/hɪd/","/ˈhɪdn/","/ˈhaɪdɪŋ/"]/🇺🇸 /["/haɪd/","/haɪdz/","/hɪd/","/ˈhɪdn/","/ˈhaɪdɪŋ/"]/ | 🇬🇧 //tɛl ðə mɛn tə breɪk ˈkʌvə//🇺🇸 //tɛl ðə mɛn tə breɪk ˈkʌvər// |
| Meaning | To put something in a place where it cannot be seen. | Tell the men to hide from danger. |
| Example | She decided to hide behind the curtain during the game. | The commander shouted, 'Tell the men to break cover quickly!' |
| Register | Neutral | Neutral |
| How common | Top 1,000 (very common) | Beyond 10,000 (less common) |
| CEFR level | A2 | - |
| Part of speech | verb | |
| Collocations | away, quickly, easily, prefer to, want to, among, behind, beneath, carefully hidden, completely hidden, well hidden, away, quickly, easily, prefer to, want to, among, behind, beneath, carefully hidden, completely hidden, well hidden, away, quickly, easily, prefer to, want to, among, behind, beneath, carefully hidden, completely hidden, well hidden, well, completely, barely, be able to, be unable to, try to, from, keep something hidden, previously hidden, remain hidden | break cover, tell the men, move from cover, reinforce cover, seek cover |
| Antonyms | reveal, show, display | - |
| Common mistakes | 'Hide' is often confused with 'secrete' which has a different meaning., Learners may forget to use an object, e.g., saying 'I hide' instead of 'I hide the book.', Misuse of tenses, e.g., saying 'I hided the keys' instead of 'I hid the keys.' | Confusing 'break cover' with 'take cover'., Using 'the man' instead of 'the men' when referring to multiple people., Omitting 'to' in the construction. |
| Usage notes | Commonly used in everyday conversation. Avoid in formal writing. Can imply physical hiding or keeping information secret. | Used in military contexts, primarily in discussions about strategy or safety. Avoid using in formal writing. |
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Frequently asked questions: Hide vs Tell the men to break cover
What's the difference between Hide and Tell the men to break cover?
Hide: To put something in a place where it cannot be seen. Tell the men to break cover: Tell the men to hide from danger.
Which is more common: Hide and Tell the men to break cover?
Hide is the most common in everyday English.
Can you show an example of each?
Hide: She decided to hide behind the curtain during the game. Tell the men to break cover: The commander shouted, 'Tell the men to break cover quickly!'
Can I use Hide and Tell the men to break cover interchangeably?
Not always. Hide and Tell the men to break cover are related and overlap in some contexts, but they differ in register, how common they are, and usage, so swapping one for another can change the meaning or tone. Check the differences above before substituting.