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
The slots were highly coveted by the major airlines.
—Edward Russell, Travel + Leisure, 17 Oct. 2024
As an unrestricted free agent, the 6-2, 224-pound Puerto Rican will be coveted by every club in the majors, though only a handful can afford him.
—Dan Schlossberg, Forbes, 13 Oct. 2024
Since launching in late July, however, the new format has sparked an 82% increase among viewers between 25 and 54 — the demographic most coveted by advertisers in news programs — when compared to its performance in June.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 18 Sep. 2024
Deals on Le Creuset Signature Round Dutch Ovens Le Creuset enameled cast-iron Dutch ovens (also called cocottes) are highly coveted by home cooks and professional chefs alike.
—Emily Farris, Bon Appétit, 8 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for covet 
Edward Russell, Travel + Leisure, 17 Oct. 2024
As an unrestricted free agent, the 6-2, 224-pound Puerto Rican will be coveted by every club in the majors, though only a handful can afford him.
—Dan Schlossberg, Forbes, 13 Oct. 2024
Since launching in late July, however, the new format has sparked an 82% increase among viewers between 25 and 54 — the demographic most coveted by advertisers in news programs — when compared to its performance in June.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 18 Sep. 2024
Deals on Le Creuset Signature Round Dutch Ovens Le Creuset enameled cast-iron Dutch ovens (also called cocottes) are highly coveted by home cooks and professional chefs alike.
—Emily Farris, Bon Appétit, 8 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for covet
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'covet.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near covet
Cite this Entry
“Covet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/covet. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.
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