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
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
Fortuny, whose iconic dresses like the Delphos were coveted by yesteryear icons like Isadora Duncan and Oona Chaplin, was founded in 1921 by artist and inventor Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo.
—Sofia Celeste, WWD, 21 Nov. 2024
Disney fans will covet the Mickey Mouse Charm Bracelet and Pouch Set from the Disney Store.
—Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Nov. 2024
Republicans had the overall registration advantage in the state as well as in seven of eight possible swing districts coveted by Democrats.
—Ray Stern, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024
The new class of free agents includes lots of starting pitching when starting pitching is less important than ever and a dearth of leverage relievers when leverage relievers are coveted more than ever.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for covet 
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.
Sofia Celeste, WWD, 21 Nov. 2024
Disney fans will covet the Mickey Mouse Charm Bracelet and Pouch Set from the Disney Store.
—Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Nov. 2024
Republicans had the overall registration advantage in the state as well as in seven of eight possible swing districts coveted by Democrats.
—Ray Stern, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024
The new class of free agents includes lots of starting pitching when starting pitching is less important than ever and a dearth of leverage relievers when leverage relievers are coveted more than ever.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for covet
Dictionary Entries Near covet
Cite this Entry
“Covet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/covet. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share