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)

Other Word Forms

• covetable adjective
• coveter noun
• covetingly adverb
• uncoveting 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

Apple's services business, which sells digital content and subscriptions to users of its coveted gadgets, generated $28.8 billion in revenue, an increase of some $3 billion from the same quarter last year.

Read more on Barron's

The technology is also coveted by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, whose rogue nation is building a nuclear-powered sub and may be getting technical help from Russia, Seoul officials say.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Teens who covet a world just before the explosion of smartphones are doing the same thing.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The International Court of Justice granted Phnom Penh sovereignty over one of the most coveted temples in 1962 and a small patch of land around it in 2013, but Thailand does not recognise its jurisdiction.

Read more on Barron's

Officials say he was a top broker of coveted Chinese chemicals needed to manufacture fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is extremely addictive.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• crave 
• envy 
• lust after www.thesaurus.com