Definition of COVETING

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 But Hollywood covets the red-carpet spectacle, which comes during nomination balloting for the Academy Awards. — Nicole Sperling, New York Times, "‘Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood’ and ‘1917’ Win Top Awards at Golden Globes," 5 Jan. 2020 Its local founders, Paul Bell, an oil tech millionaire, and his son Eric, coveted one of the three San Antonio scooter contracts. — Bruce Selcraig, ExpressNews.com, "Could scooter mania just blow over in San Antonio?," 30 Dec. 2019 There were Balenciaga’s Bernie Sanders beanies, Isabel Marant’s coveted yet anonymous gray sweatshirts, Birkenstock’s Rick Owens rollout, Vetements’ absurdly pricey hoodies, and so many Crocs. — Faran Krentcil, Harper's BAZAAR, "12 Ways Fashion Was Defined in the 2010s," 19 Dec. 2019 Potential trade partners also covet Dodgers catcher Will Smith, who impressed as a rookie in 2019, hitting 15 homers with 42 RBI in 54 games. — Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY, "Dodgers, Red Sox discussing trade for superstar Mookie Betts," 17 Dec. 2019 KENDRICK BOURNE 3rd year out of Eastern Washington Strengths: Coaches covet his hustle to dart downfield on pass and run plays. — Cam Inman, The Mercury News, "With competition for No. 1 role, here’s how 49ers’ wide receivers stack up," 3 Sep. 2019 But according to a new report in Conservation Science and Practice, scales aren’t the only reason people covet the scaly anteaters—and Asia hasn’t always been the only center of demand for them. — Rachel Nuwer, National Geographic, "Cowboy boots sold in the U.S. fueled the decline of pangolins," 24 July 2019 Johnson returns to the same scene in the The Last Jedi, but immediately subverts expectations: Luke takes the lightsaber, a prop coveted by fans for decades, and tosses it over his shoulder, off a cliff. — Eliana Dockterman, Time, "Why It's Problematic That Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Retcons the Plot of The Last Jedi," 20 Dec. 2019 Now 14 years old and standing 6-9 with a 7-3 wingspan and size-19 shoe, Villard is regarded as a tantalizing prospect, coveted by prep schools that have tried to recruit the Roxbury teen. — BostonGlobe.com, "Donald Villard," 17 Dec. 2019

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.