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coveted; coveting; covets
1
: to wish for earnestly
covet an award
2
: to desire (what belongs to another) inordinately or culpably
The king's brother coveted the throne.
: to feel inordinate desire for what belongs to another
Synonyms
Example Sentences
The oldest of the students, she had become a confidante of Fern's and she alone was allowed to call her by her first name. It was not a privilege the others coveted.
—
Edward P. Jones, The Known World, 2003
The only Commandment I'd breached, besides killing that bird with my air rifle, was that I had coveted Bobby Entrekin's electric train. It blew real smoke. Mine didn't.
—Lewis Grizzard, Reader's Digest, January 1992
He had discovered a great law of human action, without knowing it—namely, that in order to make a man or a boy covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to attain.
—Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer, 1876
His religion warns against coveting material goods.
I've been coveting that sleek sports car in the showroom for some time now.
Edward P. Jones, The Known World, 2003
The only Commandment I'd breached, besides killing that bird with my air rifle, was that I had coveted Bobby Entrekin's electric train. It blew real smoke. Mine didn't.
—Lewis Grizzard, Reader's Digest, January 1992
He had discovered a great law of human action, without knowing it—namely, that in order to make a man or a boy covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to attain.
—Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer, 1876
His religion warns against coveting material goods.
I've been coveting that sleek sports car in the showroom for some time now.
Recent Examples on the Web
At 6-foot-5 and 208 pounds with a 6-10 wingspan, Quiñones measures as a modern NBA 3-and-D wing, with a shooting stroke that the Warriors covet.
—C.j. Holmes, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 Mar. 2023
The development, which is expected to be completed in early 2024, offers rare direct access to the city’s marina, which buyers clearly covet.
—David Kaufman, Robb Report, 4 Feb. 2023
In fact, the No. 4 Clippers (teams still covet a top four finish for the home-court edge in the first round) were only 28-24 heading into a Sunday night game at Cleveland.
—Dallas News, 30 Jan. 2023
No art skills required, but Monet would probably covet your loved one’s finished piece.
—Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Forbes, 27 Jan. 2023
Why trade: Rebuilding teams looking to offload players with long-term salary and open future salary cap space sooner often covet expiring contracts as trade returns.
—Dallas News, 30 Jan. 2023
Those with curly hair, on the other hand, might covet the Denman brush, long acclaimed by users and Tardo alike to detangle curls and coils.
—Kiana Murden, Vogue, 9 Jan. 2023
Campaign finance reports by Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Attorney General Ken Paxton underscored how the gambling industry continues to covet a huge market now beyond its reach — Texas, the nation’s second most populous state.
—Dallas News, 1 Feb. 2022
The suites offer between one and three bedrooms for those who covet space (or company).
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 1 Dec. 2022
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C.j. Holmes, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 Mar. 2023
The development, which is expected to be completed in early 2024, offers rare direct access to the city’s marina, which buyers clearly covet.
—David Kaufman, Robb Report, 4 Feb. 2023
In fact, the No. 4 Clippers (teams still covet a top four finish for the home-court edge in the first round) were only 28-24 heading into a Sunday night game at Cleveland.
—Dallas News, 30 Jan. 2023
No art skills required, but Monet would probably covet your loved one’s finished piece.
—Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Forbes, 27 Jan. 2023
Why trade: Rebuilding teams looking to offload players with long-term salary and open future salary cap space sooner often covet expiring contracts as trade returns.
—Dallas News, 30 Jan. 2023
Those with curly hair, on the other hand, might covet the Denman brush, long acclaimed by users and Tardo alike to detangle curls and coils.
—Kiana Murden, Vogue, 9 Jan. 2023
Campaign finance reports by Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Attorney General Ken Paxton underscored how the gambling industry continues to covet a huge market now beyond its reach — Texas, the nation’s second most populous state.
—Dallas News, 1 Feb. 2022
The suites offer between one and three bedrooms for those who covet space (or company).
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 1 Dec. 2022
See More
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'covet.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English coveiten, from Anglo-French coveiter, from Vulgar Latin *cupidietare, from Latin cupiditat-, cupiditas desire, from cupidus desirous, from cupere to desire
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of covet was
in the 14th century
Dictionary Entries Near covet
Cite this Entry
“Covet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/covet. Accessed 24 Mar. 2023.
More from Merriam-Webster on covet
Nglish: Translation of covet for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of covet for Arabic Speakers
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