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

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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

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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

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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

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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
The school also reclassified some restricted funds to satisfy bond covenants. — Bloomberg, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2026 Interim operating covenants laid out in the merger agreement allow for WBD to run itself as an independent entity while the deal moves toward closing. — Lillian Rizzo, CNBC, 26 Aug. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for covenant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for covenant
Noun
  • Would an invasion of Canada trigger Article 5 of the collective defense treaty requiring all members to come to Canada’s rescue?
    — Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026
  • International treaties and agreements govern the use and proliferation of the inputs used to create biological, chemical and nuclear weapons.
    — Elizabeth Shackelford, Chicago Tribune, 2 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • During his tenure, REP1 negotiated billions in player contracts and completed a successful sale of the firm.
    — Chris Koras, Sportico.com, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Nscale has just won a huge contract to supply computing capacity to Anthropic worth $45 billion over six years.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 27 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Starz did indeed go dark for Verizon Fios subscribers on Wednesday night, as both sides failed to come to a carriage agreement.
    — Michael Schneider, Variety, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The project, which would revamp how visitors enter the White House grounds, is one Trump construction effort that has drawn wide agreement.
    — Dan Diamond, Washington Post, 1 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Salary caps in the NFL, NBA and NHL, along with the luxury-tax system in MLB, are lawful because they’ve been collectively bargained.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 28 Sep. 2026
  • To speed things up, Democrats want amendment votes, most notably one that would allow college athletes to collectively bargain.
    — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 22 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • OpenAI unveiled a personal AI agent at its annual developer conference on Tuesday, joining a growing number of companies promising to make consumers' lives easier with virtual assistants.
    — Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026
  • These manufacturers have promised to beef up their domestic production, as well as provide their medicines at lower prices to Medicaid and TrumpRx, the administration’s direct-to-consumer clearinghouse.
    — Tami Luhby, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Fabricating standardized modules The contract builds on a preliminary pact agreed between the two firms in August 2025.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 27 Sep. 2026
  • The pact is expected to be signed at the ASEAN Summit this November, when leaders from the group’s 11 member states will converge in Manila.
    — Jon M. Huntsman, Fortune, 24 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • The plant is expected to cost around $500 million and is being developed through a mix of equity and debt, with Circ also seeking grants and guarantees.
    — Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 28 Sep. 2026
  • But models are also expected to get cheaper as AI becomes increasingly commodified, and there’s no guarantee that revenues will arrive precisely in time to meet pre-set payment schedules once the clock starts running.
    — Tobias Burns, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Flores, a political newcomer, made his first national appearance at the Republican National Committee’s midterm convention in Dallas, touting his commitment to border security and accusing Gonzalez of allowing migrants to make the community unsafe.
    — Christopher Buchanan, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The portrait seems to place her on a stage, where she is expected to embody beauty ideals, social expectations, and conventions of the elite society of her time.
    — Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 25 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Covenant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/covenant. Accessed 3 Oct. 2026.

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