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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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
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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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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
Andrew Fowler, Hartford Courant, 8 May 2025
Additionally, some portion of the private debt premium may be linked to the fact that borrowers are willing to pay a higher yield for flexibility on covenants and deal structure.
—Wellington Management Contributor, Forbes.com, 5 May 2025
The labyrinthine saga dating from 1977, when the original Grove Isle covenant was signed, provokes intense head-scratching.
—Linda Robertson, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2025
The company entered into several financing modification agreements with Western Alliance Bank during 2024, adjusting covenants and extending maturity dates.
—Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for covenant
Noun
These guardrails were written as a guarantee into the state’s bond covenants to ensure that future politicians would not reverse this commitment to fiscal stability.
—Andrew Fowler, Hartford Courant, 8 May 2025
Additionally, some portion of the private debt premium may be linked to the fact that borrowers are willing to pay a higher yield for flexibility on covenants and deal structure.
—Wellington Management Contributor, Forbes.com, 5 May 2025
The labyrinthine saga dating from 1977, when the original Grove Isle covenant was signed, provokes intense head-scratching.
—Linda Robertson, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2025
The company entered into several financing modification agreements with Western Alliance Bank during 2024, adjusting covenants and extending maturity dates.
—Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for covenant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for covenant
Noun
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The project is a Canada–Ukraine treaty co-production, produced by Bill Marks (Forsaken) at Votex Media, Volodymyr Yatsenko, and Anna Yatsenko (U Are The Universe).—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
13 May 2025
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Contrary to the free access principle, the treaty suggests that access to these may be blocked unless the owner grants permission to enter.—
Michelle L.D. Hanlon,
The Conversation,
12 May 2025
Noun
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The dispute was caused by engineer wages, contract parity with neighboring commuter railroads, and pressures on the agency's funding and fare levels.—
Theo Burman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 May 2025
-
The no-movement clause on his contract didn’t kick in until July 1.—
Jonas Siegel,
New York Times,
19 May 2025
Noun
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In law enforcement, the legally binding agreements, approved by all parties, typically stem from Justice Department investigations into widespread patterns of misconduct.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
23 May 2025
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The agreements, called consent decrees, are used as a monitoring system at police departments where the Justice Department has found a pattern of misconduct.—
Jade Walker,
CNN Money,
22 May 2025
Verb
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To this end, in 1954, NBA players formed the NBPA for purposes of collectively bargaining with the NBA and its clubs.—
Chris Deubert,
Forbes.com,
6 May 2025
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And there was a process that was specifically bargained for in this agreement.—
Laura Romero,
ABC News,
6 May 2025
Verb
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Of course, no lead is secure in the golf world, so Sunday promises to be full of intrigue and excitement at Quail Hollow.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 May 2025
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According to several friends of the couple, Fotis had, in essence, promised to be a good husband to Jennifer, to be a good father, and, crucially, to raise the children as Jews.—
Lizz Schumer,
People.com,
17 May 2025
Noun
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The pact, revealed Saturday at the Cannes Film Market, will see the launch of the dedicated Something Weird Channel (SWC) on Cultpix’s platform beginning June 1.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
17 May 2025
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At the afterparty, however, all four boys fulfill their pact.—
James Mercadante,
EW.com,
17 May 2025
Noun
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Those restrictions upend the conventional understanding of the 14th Amendment’s citizenship guarantee for people born on U.S. soil, which the Supreme Court and most legal scholars have long interpreted to include only a few narrow exceptions, like the children of diplomats.—
Zach Schonfeld,
The Hill,
15 May 2025
-
Today the rule of state is the guarantee for all sects.—
Amira El-Fekki,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 May 2025
Noun
-
Outdated conventions needed to be cleared away, Strindberg said.—
Helen Shaw,
New Yorker,
22 May 2025
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For example, at the BRS conventions the U.S. was excluded from participating in the discussion on the exemption to decide whether to ban UV-328, the chemical used in airplane manufacturing, despite the potential ban’s implications for American manufacturers.—
Kristen Edgreen Kaufman,
Forbes.com,
21 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Covenant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/covenant. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
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