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
Examples of covet in a Sentence
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
The New York Rangers have hired Mike Sullivan, the team announced Friday, finally landing the coach that Chris Drury has coveted since becoming general manager four years ago.
—Arthur Staple, New York Times, 2 May 2025
Many of the world’s biggest rap stars no longer value lyrical supremacy, and the artists who covet their pen can’t capture the world’s attention like Drake and Lamar’s beef did.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 30 Apr. 2025
At various times in its long history, the region has either been coveted, conquered or controlled by the Greeks, the Roman Byzantines, the Genoese, the Mongols, Ottomans, Russians, Ukrainians, and even by the Germans for a brief period during World War II.
—Scott Neuman, NPR, 30 Apr. 2025
Eton College, Harrow School, Winchester College—the most prestigious boarding schools are hotly coveted by the international elite, an even more alluring status symbol than a Birkin bag.
—Ashley Baker, Air Mail, 26 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for covet
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Arthur Staple, New York Times, 2 May 2025
Many of the world’s biggest rap stars no longer value lyrical supremacy, and the artists who covet their pen can’t capture the world’s attention like Drake and Lamar’s beef did.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 30 Apr. 2025
At various times in its long history, the region has either been coveted, conquered or controlled by the Greeks, the Roman Byzantines, the Genoese, the Mongols, Ottomans, Russians, Ukrainians, and even by the Germans for a brief period during World War II.
—Scott Neuman, NPR, 30 Apr. 2025
Eton College, Harrow School, Winchester College—the most prestigious boarding schools are hotly coveted by the international elite, an even more alluring status symbol than a Birkin bag.
—Ashley Baker, Air Mail, 26 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for covet
Cite this Entry
“Covet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/covet. Accessed 9 May. 2025.
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