covet

verb

cov·​et ˈkə-vət 

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

covetable

ˈkə-və-tə-bəl 

adjective

coveter

ˈkə-və-tər 

noun

covetingly

ˈkə-və-tiŋ-lē 

adverb

Synonyms of covet

• crave
• want

Choose the Right Synonym for covet

desire, wish, want, crave, covet mean to have a longing for.

desire stresses the strength of feeling and often implies strong intention or aim.

desires to start a new life

wish sometimes implies a general or transient longing especially for the unattainable.

wishes for permanent world peace

want specifically suggests a felt need or lack.

wants to have a family

crave stresses the force of physical appetite or emotional need.

craves sweets

covet implies strong envious desire.

covets his rise to fame

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 on the Web

Fields was the bigger-bodied boundary receiver Notre Dame coveted, cut from the same cloth as Miles Boykin and Chase Claypool before him. — Pete Sampson, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026

The growing number of designer boutiques at Wilmette’s Plaza del Lago were just joined by a power player in fashion — the French luxury brand Hermès, which sells $10,000-plus handbags coveted by celebrities. — Claire Murphy, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2026

James, Lord Dalhousie, the arrogant and ruthless Governor General of British India, who had long coveted the riches of Punjab and the Koh-i-Noor, was triumphant. — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 17 Aug. 2026

Patek Philippe’s Rare Handcrafts collection is also highly coveted by collectors. — Ming Liu, Robb Report, 15 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

covet

verb

cov·​et ˈkəv-ət 

: to wish for greatly or with envy

covet another's success

covet a friend's possessions

coveter

-ər 

noun

covetingly

-iŋ-lē 

adverb