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
Available in 21 different colors, these travel-friendly pants are highly coveted, with more than 800 Amazon shoppers giving them a five-star rating and more than 200 people snagging a pair in the last month alone.
—Essence Wiley, InStyle, 5 Mar. 2026
As coveted as right-handed defensemen are this time of year, a 32-year-old in the midst of a down year with another five years on his deal could be a tough sell.
—Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
This rich and comforting potato casserole is delicious any time of day but is especially coveted for Easter brunch.
—Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 4 Mar. 2026
The Ducks missed out on Connor Murphy, who traveled from Chicago to Edmonton on Monday and was the sort of player the Ducks might covet.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for covet
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Essence Wiley, InStyle, 5 Mar. 2026
As coveted as right-handed defensemen are this time of year, a 32-year-old in the midst of a down year with another five years on his deal could be a tough sell.
—Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
This rich and comforting potato casserole is delicious any time of day but is especially coveted for Easter brunch.
—Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 4 Mar. 2026
The Ducks missed out on Connor Murphy, who traveled from Chicago to Edmonton on Monday and was the sort of player the Ducks might covet.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for covet
Cite this Entry
“Covet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/covet. Accessed 7 Mar. 2026.
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