covet

[ kuhv-it ]

verb (used with object)

1. to desire wrongfully, inordinately, or without due regard for the rights of others:

   to covet another's property.

   Antonyms: renounce

2. to wish for, especially eagerly:

   He won the prize they all coveted.

verb (used without object)

1. to have an inordinate or wrongful desire.

covet

/ ˈkʌvɪt /

verb

1. to wish, long, or crave for (something, esp the property of another person)

Derived Forms

• ˈcovetable, adjective
• ˈcoveter, noun

Other Words From

• cov·et·a·ble adjective
• cov·et·er noun
• cov·et·ing·ly adverb
• un·cov·et·ing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of covet¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of covet¹

C13: from Old French coveitier, from coveitié eager desire, ultimately from Latin cupiditā cupidity

Synonym Study

See envy.

Example Sentences

Monica BurtonFlavored ices and frozen desserts have been coveted for thousands of years, across many cultures, by people who have gone to great lengths to procure them.

From Eater

My pick this year is that Jim Walmsley is finally going to give us the win that we have so desperately coveted over the last 15 or so years.

From Outside Online

Any woman who pursues what she covets can be seen as selfish or unrelatable.

From Washington Post

Read more on OZYThe notion of home and space has perhaps never been as coveted as it is right now.

From Ozy

The sheer utility of the design now struck me as elegant, and I began to covet them, before finally acquiring a Rivendell Platypus.

From Outside Online

The U.S. needs influence with credible actors on the ground more than those groups covet small bits of U.S. assistance.

From The Daily Beast

Mothers-to-be covet it like a Birkin bag, and celebrity moms are known to splurge on it.

From The Daily Beast

The label has gained an especially impressive footing in markets that covet its strong American appeal.

From The Daily Beast

I ask if he thinks Christie should run for president, an office that McGreevey himself was once widely assumed to covet.

From The Daily Beast

They are not merely trying to stir up desire—to covet, to shop, to consume.

From The Daily Beast

And latterly eyes had been turned to Vienna, where dwelt Prince Alix, who was known to covet the throne.

From Project Gutenberg

The art of breaking the tenth commandment—thou shalt not covet they neighbor's wife—has reached its highest perfection in France.

From Project Gutenberg

The next thought was the impression that, no matter how many might covet it, it was exhaustless, and would last forever.

From Project Gutenberg

Unpleasant and monotonous things, which we claim make our own work unbearable, we ignore in occupations which we covet or admire.

From Project Gutenberg

We covet superfluous things, when it were more honour for us if we would contemn necessary.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• crave
• envy
• lust after