covet

verb cov·et \ˈkə-vət\

: to want (something that you do not have) very much

Full Definition of COVET

transitive verb

: to wish for earnestly <covet an award>

: to desire (what belongs to another) inordinately or culpably

intransitive verb

: to feel inordinate desire for what belongs to another

— cov·et·able \-və-tə-bəl\ adjective

— cov·et·er \-tər\ noun

— cov·et·ing·ly \-tiŋ-lē\ adverb

See covet defined for English-language learners

See covet defined for kids

Examples of COVET

The oldest of the students, she had become a confidante of Fern's and she alone was allowed to call her by her first name. It was not a privilege the others coveted. —Edward P. Jones, The Known World, 2003
The only Commandment I'd breached, besides killing that bird with my air rifle, was that I had coveted Bobby Entrekin's electric train. It blew real smoke. Mine didn't. —Lewis Grizzard, Reader's Digest, January 1992
He had discovered a great law of human action, without knowing it—namely, that in order to make a man or a boy covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to attain. —Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer, 1876
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Origin of COVET

Middle English coveiten, from Anglo-French coveiter, from Vulgar Latin *cupidietare, from Latin cupiditat-, cupiditas desire, from cupidus desirous, from cupere to desire

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to COVET

Synonyms: ache (for), desire, crave, desiderate, die (for), hanker (for or after), hunger (for), itch (for), jones (for) [slang], long (for), lust (for or after), pant (after), pine (for), repine (for), salivate (for), sigh (for), thirst (for), want, wish (for), yearn (for), yen (for)

Synonym Discussion of COVET

desire, wish, want, crave, covet mean to have a longing for. desire stresses the strength of feeling and often implies strong intention or aim <desires to start a new life>. wish sometimes implies a general or transient longing especially for the unattainable <wishes for permanent world peace>. want specifically suggests a felt need or lack <wants to have a family>. crave stresses the force of physical appetite or emotional need <craves sweets>. covet implies strong envious desire <covets his rise to fame>.