covet
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to desire wrongfully, inordinately, or without due regard for the rights of others.
to covet another's property.
- Antonyms:
- renounce
-
to wish for, especially eagerly.
He won the prize they all coveted.
verb (used without object)
verb
Synonym Usage
See envy.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
have covetedperfect
-
has covetedperfect 3rd person singular
-
is covetingprogressive 3rd person singular
-
am covetingprogressive 1st person singular
-
have been covetingperfect progressive
-
are covetingprogressive
-
has been covetingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
covetingparticiple
-
covetssingular 3rd person
Past
-
had covetedperfect
-
had been covetingperfect progressive
-
was covetingprogressive singular
-
were covetingprogressive plural
-
covetedparticiple
-
covetedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of covet
First recorded in 1325–1350; Middle English coveiten, from Anglo-French coveiter, Old French coveit(i)er, from unattested Vulgar Latin cupiditāre, verbal derivative of Latin cupiditās cupidity
Explanation
If you covet something, you eagerly desire something that someone else has. If it's 95 degrees out and humid, you may find yourself coveting your neighbor's air conditioner. If the word covet sounds familiar, you're thinking of the Tenth Commandment: "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor's." Basically this means you should be happy with your electronic gadgets and not be jealous when a friend gets something better.
Vocabulary lists containing covet
300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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The Crucible
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That has allowed the show to meet younger people where they are and to stay relevant with viewers in the 18-to-34 age bracket that advertisers covet.
From MarketWatch • May 7, 2026
But Guardiola has often seemed to covet the Champions League above all else and there will likely be frustration that the competition has brought him more anguish than joy in the past 10 years.
From BBC • Mar. 17, 2026
The temperature was cool most of the year, without frost or heat, an environment that allows grapes to grow in abundance—and slowly develop the concentrated flavors that wine drinkers covet.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 11, 2025
Someone who, perhaps, did not covet the presidency as much as he did.
From Slate • Oct. 10, 2025
“Then, and only then, might you be ready for a universal channellor, those stapiers you covet, or better yet, your very own unique channellor suited to your talent.”
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
