coveted; coveting; covets
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.
: to feel inordinate desire for what belongs to another
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.
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 on the Web
The triangular chain of reefs and rocks is coveted for its strategic location, bountiful fish stocks, and role as a sanctuary for boats during storms.
—Nectar Gan, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2025
This applies universally to how 40-somethings view 50-somethings; 40-something women mostly covet 50-something men because they’ve been burned by their same-age spouses and want a grown-up.
—Linsey Hughes, Flow Space, 10 Sep. 2025
If Snitker does retire from managing, the Braves' job will be highly coveted.
—Aaliyan Mohammed, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
Ultimately, the Heat opted not to include Kel’el Ware (whom the Suns particularly coveted) or Nikola Jovic combined with a first-round pick swap (in addition to several other players and a 2025 first-round pick).
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for covet
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Nectar Gan, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2025
This applies universally to how 40-somethings view 50-somethings; 40-something women mostly covet 50-something men because they’ve been burned by their same-age spouses and want a grown-up.
—Linsey Hughes, Flow Space, 10 Sep. 2025
If Snitker does retire from managing, the Braves' job will be highly coveted.
—Aaliyan Mohammed, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
Ultimately, the Heat opted not to include Kel’el Ware (whom the Suns particularly coveted) or Nikola Jovic combined with a first-round pick swap (in addition to several other players and a 2025 first-round pick).
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 9 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for covet
Cite this Entry
“Covet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/covet. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
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