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
as in contract
a formal agreement to fulfill an obligation
I had to sign a covenant that I would return the rental car on time
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of covenant
Gail Sheehy, Vanity Fair, 20 Feb. 2026
The project will create 50 new residential units under an existing affordability covenant.
—Jessica Alvarado Gamez, Denver Post, 28 Jan. 2026
The circa-1974 building’s facade and some interior spaces must be preserved in keeping with historic covenants tied to the property.
—Madison Iszler, San Antonio Express-News, 15 Jan. 2026
The covenants contained language in property deeds that prevented the sale of land or homes to Black people and people of other ethnicities to keep certain areas exclusively White.
—Kayla Huynh, jsonline.com, 14 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for covenant
Noun
Jesse challenges fast-food chains into signing covenants with PUSH to hire and distribute proportionally to their black customers; Noah turns up with a chain of Wendy's, Bojangles, and Church's Fried Chicken in both Chicago and New York.
—Gail Sheehy, Vanity Fair, 20 Feb. 2026
The project will create 50 new residential units under an existing affordability covenant.
—Jessica Alvarado Gamez, Denver Post, 28 Jan. 2026
The circa-1974 building’s facade and some interior spaces must be preserved in keeping with historic covenants tied to the property.
—Madison Iszler, San Antonio Express-News, 15 Jan. 2026
The covenants contained language in property deeds that prevented the sale of land or homes to Black people and people of other ethnicities to keep certain areas exclusively White.
—Kayla Huynh, jsonline.com, 14 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for covenant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for covenant
Noun
-
The treaty remains one of the most painful symbols of foreign domination in Iranian political memory.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Under a treaty, the Common Travel Agreement, Irish citizens have the right of abode in England.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The Warriors, who lost three centers on Friday, are signing former Utah Jazz and Miami Heat 7-foot center Omer Yurtseven to a 10-day contract, according to multiple reports.—
Jon Becker,
Mercury News,
15 Mar. 2026
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On February 14th, Anthropic was told that a failure to accept the government’s demands might result in contract cancellation.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The agreement is for the company to pay either the minimum rent for the space at the airport, or 25% of yearly revenue, whichever is more.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
10 Mar. 2026
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Among Hasner’s early acts was his choice to sign a 287(g) agreement, forcing FAU’s police department to train and collaborate with ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement).—
Karen J. Leader,
Sun Sentinel,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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One potential—though untested—workaround would be for conferences, which are private entities, to serve as a joint employer that bargains with a players’ union.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
10 Mar. 2026
-
If the companies want stability, that can always be achieved by being willing to bargain and address the very real concerns of writers.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Iranian attacks against Gulf States have persisted, even after President Masoud Pezeshkian promised not to do so, according to a report from the Institute for the Study of War.—
Robert Stewart,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Italy promised defense systems to Gulf nations.—
Robin Wright,
New Yorker,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Canada and Mexico defended their trilateral trade agreement with the US following Washington’s threats to withdraw from the $2 trillion pact.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
13 Mar. 2026
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However, the lineman settled for a one-year pact with the Panthers after going through the first five days of negotiations.—
Mike Kaye
Updated March 13,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Reinstate or redesign clean‑manufacturing incentives that pull forward orders, expand 48C credits to help decarbonize heavy industry, and use procurement guarantees in defense, grid hardware, and energy storage to anchor domestic volume.—
Paul S. Lavoie,
Hartford Courant,
11 Mar. 2026
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Personal guarantees, past disputes, unforeseen litigation and even future business ventures can all circle back to newly liquid wealth.—
Ascend Agency,
New York Daily News,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Given these conventions, the markings visible on the bomb have led to speculation that the JDAM shown in the images could be configured with an incendiary-type payload rather than a standard high-explosive filling.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Mar. 2026
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For example, Allan Sekula did this photo essay about how a political convention really is in tension with what happens with the maquiladoras (factories) in Baja California, but also with commerce in the Pacific.—
Lisa Deaderick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Covenant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/covenant. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
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