covet
verb (used with object)
to desire wrongfully, inordinately, or without due regard for the rights of others.
had coveted
-
past perfectof covet.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
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.
Wes Streeting was in Parliament with his closest advisers mulling whether he should quit the cabinet job as health secretary that he had coveted for years.
From BBC ● May 15, 2026
A Sonics title would mean big-league triumph the city had coveted for decades.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 15, 2023
The siblings retaliated by acquiring the venerated Pierce Global Media, an asset their father had coveted for years.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2023
But the prize that Mr. Donahue had coveted for decades — leadership of the A.F.L.-C.I.O., the policymaking umbrella organization for 78 unions and 13.3 million workers — remained his for only three months.
From New York Times ● Feb. 19, 2023
The books had been promised to Ashoke throughout his childhood, and for as long as he could remember he had coveted them more than anything else in the world.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
