covenants 1 of 2

Definition of covenantsnext
plural of covenant
1
as in treaties
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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covenants

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of covenant
1
as in bargains
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 promises
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 covenants
Noun
Bond and financial covenants in loans and financial transactions are an example. Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Apr. 2026 Funds that cater to institutional investors focused on loans to middle-market borrowers that had more protective covenants and wider spreads, a feature that can also buffer potential losses, Gross said at Semafor World Economy in Washington, DC. Miles Weiss, semafor.com, 16 Apr. 2026 Your neighbor may be violating the covenants, conditions and restrictions (CC&Rs). Abigail Van Buren, Boston Herald, 29 Mar. 2026 Your neighbor may be violating the covenants, conditions and restrictions. Jeanne Phillips, Dallas Morning News, 29 Mar. 2026 For decades, discriminatory housing policies — including redlining, racially restrictive covenants and predatory land-sale contracts — systematically extracted the very wealth from Black families that fuels neighborhood investment. Tonika Lewis Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026 Now, the statutory trust is no longer an area of concern, but SWP believes that the land is still subject to other restrictive covenants about development. Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2026 Lenders can also take advantage of AI to improve monitoring of borrower health and collateral to help monitor the terms of the new covenants. Adam Craig, Forbes.com, 12 Mar. 2026 Early 20th-century deed covenants explicitly barred Black, Chinese, or Japanese residents from buying or renting homes in the neighborhood. Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for covenants
Noun
  • With countries offering affordability, long-term security, tax treaties, an array of accessible visas—golden or otherwise—and lifestyle perks ranging from sunshine to accessible healthcare, Americans are finding that Europe offers both practical advantages and a sense of stability.
    Alex Ledsom, Forbes.com, 10 May 2026
  • Instead, aid may foster a form of international cooperation that does not depend on treaties or direct reciprocity between nations but emerges from ordinary people’s willingness to pass on goodwill.
    JB Bae, The Conversation, 5 May 2026
Noun
  • Surrogacy contracts that treat preborn lives as transferable goods should be outlawed.
    Kimberly Bird, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 May 2026
  • Heyman put the onus on Rhodes – the face of the blue brand – to make Gunther sign the contracts.
    Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 16 May 2026
Noun
  • They’re caught up in this bureaucratic system, this transfer system, these standardization agreements across state lines, so that anybody can move anywhere.
    Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 12 May 2026
  • The Pisces Moon trine Jupiter favors agreements, good timing, and ideas that travel well when spoken plainly.
    Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 May 2026
Verb
  • The union usually bargains in the same year as performers’ union SAG-AFTRA and directors’ union the Directors Guild of America.
    Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 6 Apr. 2026
  • 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
Verb
  • Use a commercial preventive spray that promises to clean and kill algae and prevent it from returning.
    Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 16 May 2026
  • But the next evolution promises the biggest step forward yet.
    James Morris, Forbes.com, 16 May 2026
Noun
  • Pickett and Grier are signed to one-year pacts.
    Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 30 Apr. 2026
  • But the deals are done project by project, rather than via the older model of pacts that paid out millions in development funds and compensation over three or four years.
    Joe Otterson, Variety, 8 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Money-back and lowest-price guarantees apply to tax resolution services only and cannot be applied to any other services offered by Alleviate Tax Relief.
    Brian Sloan, CNBC, 15 May 2026
  • Iranian officials have also asked for their flag and anthem to be respected, and for security guarantees at airports, hotels and stadiums.
    Khaled Wassef, CBS News, 13 May 2026
Noun
  • Republicans held five straight conventions in the city, from 1904 through 1920.
    Dan Petrella, Chicago Tribune, 13 May 2026
  • Nowhere was this more evident than at his legendary speech, delivered in less than perfect Spanish and which seemed deliberately designed to provoke the literary sensibilities and conventions of the time.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Covenants.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/covenants. Accessed 17 May. 2026.

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