covet

verb cov·et \ ˈkə-vət \

|Updated on: 17 Jun 2018

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Examples: covet in a Sentence

Definition of covet

coveted; coveting; covets

transitive verb

1 : to wish for earnestly

covet an award

2 : to desire (what belongs to another) inordinately or culpably

The king's brother coveted the throne.

intransitive verb

: to feel inordinate desire for what belongs to another

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covetable

play \ˈkə-və-tə-bəl\ adjective

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coveter

play \ˈkə-və-tər\ noun

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covetingly

play \ˈkə-və-tiŋ-lē\ adverb

See covet defined for English-language learners

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Examples of covet in a Sentence

The oldest of the students, she had become a confidante of Fern's and she alone was allowed to call her by her first name. It was not a privilege the others coveted. —Edward P. Jones, The Known World, 2003
The only Commandment I'd breached, besides killing that bird with my air rifle, was that I had coveted Bobby Entrekin's electric train. It blew real smoke. Mine didn't. —Lewis Grizzard, Reader's Digest, January 1992
He had discovered a great law of human action, without knowing it—namely, that in order to make a man or a boy covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to attain. —Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer, 1876
His religion warns against coveting material goods.
I've been coveting that sleek sports car in the showroom for some time now.

Recent Examples of covet from the Web

That means, skilled app developers are high coveted within the tech space.

— anna hecht, CNN Underscored, "Learn to build apps for just $19 with this top-notch developer course," 31 May 2018
The playful pieces Carl II designed from the 1920s into the mid-1950s remain the most coveted by collectors today—asymmetrical ashtrays, for instance, or bottle stoppers in the shape of a hand, as if waving for help.

— sarah medford, WSJ, "The Family That Has Elevated Everyday Items to Art," 29 May 2018
And cobalt and copper mines in the country’s Katanga region are rich in minerals like tourmaline, amethyst, citrine, blue and smoky quartz—all coveted by healing crystal sellers.

— emily atkin, The New Republic, "Do You Know Where Your Healing Crystals Come From?," 11 May 2018
Want to ogle gems once coveted by Elizabeth Taylor and maybe snag a bauble for yourself?

— kara baskin, BostonGlobe.com, "Want to shop for jewelry Liz Taylor sought?," 10 May 2018
But its sweet mangoes — small and round, the perfect snack — were coveted by neighbors and even those who lived blocks away.

— New York Times, "In Puerto Rico, Waiting for Power, for Tourists, for the Flowers," 7 May 2018
Environmentalists, however, fear the tourists could destroy the treasured landscape, which is already coveted by international mining companies.

— Fox News, "Tourists flocking to Peru's newfound 'Rainbow Mountain'," 2 May 2018
At the end of one of the snowiest and coldest Aprils on record, this isn't the type of choice coveted by most anglers.

— paul a. smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Smith: Wisconsin fishing opener to offer soft and hard water options," 2 May 2018
Pass rusher Bradley Chubb, the other non-quarterback coveted by teams in the top five, figures to have hugged Commissioner Roger Goodell by the time the Bears draft.

— david haugh, chicagotribune.com, "Bears fans are going to love this draft if Ryan Pace plays it safe and stays at No. 8," 20 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'covet.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of covet

Middle English coveiten, from Anglo-French coveiter, from Vulgar Latin *cupidietare, from Latin cupiditat-, cupiditas desire, from cupidus desirous, from cupere to desire

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year