Definition of covenantnext
1
as in treaty
a formal agreement between two or more nations or peoples the two countries signed a peace covenant that, it was hoped, would put an end to decades of bitter conflict

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
3
as in agreement
an arrangement about action to be taken the covenant that existed among neighbors in olden times whereby they would quickly respond to the call to help put out one another's house fires

Synonyms & Similar Words

1
as in to bargain
to come to an arrangement as to a course of action a traditional rule held that a husband could not enter into a covenant with his wife, because that was the equivalent of covenanting with himself

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in to promise
to make a solemn declaration of intent the home buyers had to covenant that they would restore and keep the house for at least 10 years in exchange for a low mortgage rate

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of covenant
Noun
This structure lets legal, financial and commercial advisors concentrate effort on issues that influence transaction architecture, particularly those requiring adjustments to representations, covenants or indemnification constructs. Keegan Caldwell, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026 Under Terry, the church joined the Open and Affirming Coalition, a national nonprofit in covenant with the United Church of Christ that promotes LGBTQ+ inclusion within the church. Victoria Moorwood, Cincinnati Enquirer, 12 Aug. 2026 Each temple is considered a house of the Lord, where the teachings of Jesus Christ are reaffirmed through sacred ordinances, learning about life’s purpose and making covenants to follow Jesus Christ and serve others. Fousia Abdullahi, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Aug. 2026 As restrictive racial covenants to limit who could own property spread over the East Bay, more than 1,400 Black and Latino residents found a haven on the other side of the Union Pacific railroad tracks west of downtown Hayward. Chase Hunter, Mercury News, 7 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for covenant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for covenant
Noun
  • On Wednesday, von der Leyen proposed making Canada the EU's first associate member -- a status that does not currently exist in the bloc's treaties and would have to be created.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Associate membership doesn't currently exist as a formal category under EU treaties, and any such arrangement would need to be created and ratified by member states.
    Anniek Bao, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • The Commanders missed their opportunity to build a contender during Jayden Daniels’ rookie contract window.
    Ted Nguyen, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Oak Park and Evanston have decided to end their Flock contracts.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • After a group of civil rights groups sued Cooper’s gubernatorial administration in 2020 over COVID-19 infection risks, a North Carolina Superior Court judge ordered the two sides to reach an agreement.
    Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Under the new agreement, Google will receive environmental attribute certificates (EACs) from a portion (up to 91,000 metric tons) of the steel produced in Stegra’s first year of production.
    Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The Chinese party-state is a sprawling network of bureaucratic agencies, regional power bases, and administrative offices that have their own interests and frequently have to bargain with one another.
    ANDREW MERTHA, Foreign Affairs, 17 Sep. 2026
  • The contracts also require Blizzard to discuss and bargain over the use of artificial intelligence in the workplace.
    Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Its showrunner Katie Dippold won for writing, promising that from here on out no one could step into her home without seeing her Emmys award.
    Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026
  • These might still be in their infancy but promise a brand new tomorrow that will be drastically different from the present.
    Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 15 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • In recent years, Canberra has also inked mutual defense agreements with Fiji and Papua New Guinea alongside negotiations for a similar pact with Tonga; deals with Tuvalu and Vanuatu restrict them from security cooperation with Beijing.
    Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 8 Sep. 2026
  • The financials are also unmatched, with last year’s annual check to each franchise from 345 Park Ave topping $450 million from leaguewide deals, primarily driven by the NFL’s $125 billion in media pacts.
    Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 8 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Be cautious about guarantees that third-party content will disappear or that a particular Google ranking will be achieved.
    Scott Keever, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • All three plans deliver unlimited data and a five-year price guarantee.
    K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 14 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Candidates’ disparate visions Taking the California Democratic Party convention stage in February, Barrera, president of the San Diego Unified Board of Education, gave a quick shout-out to the California Teachers Assn.
    Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Mehta calls the film’s action language deliberately unlike genre convention.
    Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 14 Sep. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Covenant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/covenant. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on covenant

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!