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covet

American  

[kuhv-it] / ˈkʌv ɪt /

verb (used with object)

• covets,
  present (3rd person singular)
• coveted,
  past participle,  past
• coveting
  present participle

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.

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verb (used without object)

• covets,
  present (3rd person singular)
• coveted,
  past participle,  past
• coveting
  present participle

1. to have an inordinate or wrongful desire.

covet British  

/ ˈkʌvɪt /

verb

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

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Synonym Usage

See envy.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• coveter
  noun
• covetable
  adjective
• uncoveting
  adjective
• covetingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• coveting
  present
• coveted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• covet
  simple
• covets
  simple
• have coveted
  perfect
• has coveted
  perfect
• am coveting
  progressive
• are coveting
  progressive
• is coveting
  progressive
• have been coveting
  perfect progressive
• has been coveting
  perfect progressive

Past

• coveted
  simple
• had coveted
  perfect
• was coveting
  progressive
• were coveting
  progressive
• had been coveting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will covet
  simple
• will have coveted
  perfect
• will be coveting
  progressive
• will have been coveting
  perfect progressive

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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

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

covet covets coveted coveting

Whether you covet a golden statuette of your own or just want to see your favorite show sweep its categories, it’s time to start gearing up for the 2026 Emmy Awards.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026

All this puts it at the heart of Chinese and US economic interests and they actively covet it.

From Barron's ● Jun. 26, 2026

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

He continued to gaze at the picture: the longer he looked, the firmer he held it, the more he seemed to covet it.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

The reason for what the world might see as a muted response is to preserve the one thing Xi covets for his country: stability.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

In effect, Spain is counting on a historical rival that covets its territory to protect that same territory.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

Greenland does not need medical assistance from other countries, Denmark's defence minister said Sunday, after US President Donald Trump claimed he was sending a hospital ship to the autonomous Danish territory that he covets.

From Barron's ● Feb. 22, 2026

Elsbeth’s jewelry is typically pared back, but she covets an $11-million flamingo brooch on display.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 7, 2024

She sighs like I'm bothering her and it's an imposition for her to tell me, but I know she covets the attention.

From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton

With Rwandan help, the M23 movement has seized swathes of the eastern DRC -- home to valuable minerals coveted by world powers -- since it took up arms again in 2021.

From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026

But who among the five to have held the coveted prize is England's greatest Ballon d'Or winner?

From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026

The twin-aisle plane is Boeing’s flagship and a coveted long-haul jet for global airlines.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026

Federal prosecutors noted that black bears and cougars are coveted by some for their use in traditional medicine.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2026

Nevertheless, these jobs were coveted in the black community because they provided a measure of economic stability and social standing.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

The kit he’s currently coveting is Qatar Airways’ collaboration with Diptyque, full of beauty offerings from the French perfumer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

The coveting provides a welcome distraction — even a bit of hope.

From Salon ● Feb. 18, 2026

Now he is vying for votes in a military-managed poll starting on Sunday, coveting the former seat of the country's best known political prisoner -- Aung San Suu Kyi.

From Barron's ● Dec. 23, 2025

Over a recent video call, the two stars, who also serve as executive producers of “Platonic,” discussed the joy of doing physical comedy, coveting Rogen’s colorful wardrobe and those pesky scooters.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2024

I figured he’d choose the big ones—like her secretly saving up for three years in a row to buy him that expensive plane saw he was coveting over at Sears.

From "Missing May" by Cynthia Rylant

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Related Words

• crave
• envy
• lust after

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