covey

American  

[kuhv-ee] / ˈkʌv i /

noun

coveys plural

1. a brood or small flock of partridges or similar birds.

2. a group, set, or company.

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covey British  

/ ˈkʌvɪ /

noun

1. a small flock of grouse or partridge

2. a small group, as of people

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• coveys
  plural

Etymology

Origin of covey

First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English, variant of covee, from Anglo-French, Old French, noun use of feminine of past participle of cover “to hatch,” from Latin cubāre “to lie down”; cf. couvade, concubine

Explanation

A covey is a social group of birds. You can also use it for a group of people, like the covey of kids that hangs out on the playground after school. The roots of covey go back to the Latin cubare, "incubate or hatch." The word was originally used for a brood of newly-hatched partridges or other similar birds. Today it can refer to one family group, like a mother pigeon and her chicks, or a flock that hangs out together. Feel free to describe other groups using this word, like the covey of tourists walking slowly down the sidewalk with their map as the locals dodge past them.

Example Sentences

"Letting this thing just fail and blow up is unacceptable to us," Covey said.

From BBC • May 25, 2026

"The crack is there. We have verified that it's there, and the tank has released its pressure," Covey said.

From Barron's • May 25, 2026

Officials had also been developing "very aggressive plans" for a scenario in which the tank's integrity fails, Covey said at the time.

From BBC • May 25, 2026

Saturday, up from 77 degrees a day earlier, Craig Covey, Orange County Fire Authority division chief, said during a morning news conference.

From Los Angeles Times • May 23, 2026

On the first of January, 1834, I left Mr. Covey, and went to live with Mr. William Freeland, who lived about three miles from St. Michael’s.

From "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass" by Frederick Douglass