a natural object that covers or envelops
"under a covering of dust"
"the fox was flushed from its cover"
an artifact that covers something else (usually to protect or shelter or conceal it)
"She carefully placed a clear plastic covering over the fresh flowers to keep them from wilting in the hot sun."
the act of protecting something by covering it
"She spent hours carefully covering the delicate flowers with a blanket to protect them from the frost."
the work of applying something
"the doctor prescribed a topical application of iodine"
"a complete bleach requires several applications"
"the surface was ready for a coating of paint"
That which covers or conceals; a cover; something spread or laid over or wrapped about another.
"The blanket served as a warm covering for the sleeping child on the cold night."
In plain English: A covering is something you put over an object to protect it or hide what's underneath.
"The thick blanket served as perfect covering for the cold winter nights."
Usage: Use "covering" to refer to an object placed over something else, such as a blanket on a bed or a lid on a pot. Do not use it to mean the act of covering, which requires the gerund form "covering."
present participle of cover
"The rain was covering the entire parking lot within minutes."
In plain English: To cover something means to put a layer over it so that you cannot see what is underneath.
"The heavy rain was covering the entire street in mud."
Usage: Use covering as the gerund or present participle to describe the action of placing something over another to protect or conceal it. It functions grammatically as an -ing form in phrases like "covering the table with a cloth."
The word covering comes from the verb cover combined with the suffix -ing, which turns it into a present participle. It originally functioned as the participial adjective describing something that covers or is covered by another object.