Meanings
verbcovet (third-person singular simple present covets, present participle coveting, simple past and past participle coveted)
present singular third person covets · participle present coveting · participle past coveted · past coveted
- transitiveTo wish for with eagerness; to desire possession of, often enviously.
What Netflix really covets is closer to its current competencies: WBD's “intellectual property”, or in plain English, franchises such as Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Friends, pictured, and The Sopranos.
2025 December 6, “Netflix’s WBD deal swaps history for fantasy”, in FT Weekend (Lex section), London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 24 - intransitiveTo yearn; to have or indulge an inordinate desire, especially for another's possession.
No! He covets. That is his nature. And how do we begin to covet, Clarice? Do we seek out things to covet? Make an effort to answer now.
1991, Ted Tally, The Silence of the Lambs (motion picture), spoken by Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins)
Synonyms & antonyms
Similar
Origin
- Latincupiditas
- Old Frenchcovoitier
- Middle Englishcoveten
- Englishcovet
From Middle English coveten, coveiten, coveyten, from Old French covoitier (modern French convoiter), from covoitié (“desire”), presumably modified from Latin cupiditas.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ἐπῐθῡμέω
- ἐπῐθῡμέω (epĭthūméō)to wish for with eagerness
Arabic طَمُعَ, طَمِعَ
- طَمُعَ (ṭamuʕa)to wish for with eagerness
- طَمِعَ (ṭamiʕa)to wish for with eagerness
- جَشِعَ (jašiʕa)to wish for with eagerness
Bulgarian жадувам, пожелавам
- жадувам (žaduvam)to wish for with eagerness
- пожелавам (poželavam)to have or indulge inordinate desire
Chinese Cantonese 覬覦 /觊觎
- 覬覦 /觊觎 (gei³ jyu⁴)to long for inordinately or unlawfully
Chinese Mandarin 貪求 /贪求, 貪圖 /贪图
- 貪求 /贪求 (tānqiú)to wish for with eagerness
- 貪圖 /贪图 (tāntú)to wish for with eagerness
- 渴望 (kěwàng)to wish for with eagerness
- 垂涎 (chuíxián)to wish for with eagerness
Danish begære, attrå
- begæreto wish for with eagerness
- attråto wish for with eagerness
Dutch begeren, hunkeren
- begerento wish for with eagerness
- hunkerento wish for with eagerness
- verlangento wish for with eagerness
- smachten (naar)to wish for with eagerness
- begerento long for inordinately or unlawfully
- lonkento long for inordinately or unlawfully
- lustento have or indulge inordinate desire
- smachtento have or indulge inordinate desire
Esperanto deziri, avidi
- dezirito wish for with eagerness
- avidito wish for with eagerness
Finnish himoita, himoita
- himoitato wish for with eagerness
- himoitato have or indulge inordinate desire
French convoiter, désirer
- convoiterto wish for with eagerness
- désirerto wish for with eagerness
- convoiterto long for inordinately or unlawfully
- guignerto long for inordinately or unlawfully
German begehren, sehnen
- begehrento wish for with eagerness
- sehnento have or indulge inordinate desire
Hebrew חמד
- חמד (chamad)to wish for with eagerness
Italian concupire, bramare
- concupireto wish for with eagerness
- bramareto wish for with eagerness
Japanese 切望する, 貪る
- 切望する (setsubō suru)to wish for with eagerness
- 貪る (musaboru)to wish for with eagerness
- 欲張る (okubaru)to wish for with eagerness
Latin concupio
- concupioto wish for with eagerness
Māori taiapo, kōhaehae
- taiapoto wish for with eagerness
- kōhaehaeto wish for with eagerness
- kaiapoto wish for with eagerness
- taiapoto long for inordinately or unlawfully
- kaiapoto long for inordinately or unlawfully
- monoato have or indulge inordinate desire
- monowato have or indulge inordinate desire
- kōhaehaeto have or indulge inordinate desire
Norwegian attrå, ønske sterkt
- attråto wish for with eagerness
- ønske sterktto wish for with eagerness
Polish pożądać, pragnąć
- pożądaćto wish for with eagerness
- pragnąćto wish for with eagerness
- pożądaćto long for inordinately or unlawfully
- pragnąćto long for inordinately or unlawfully
- pożądaćto have or indulge inordinate desire
- pragnąćto have or indulge inordinate desire
Portuguese desejar, cobiçar
- desejarto wish for with eagerness
- cobiçarto wish for with eagerness
Romanian râvni, dori
- râvnito wish for with eagerness
- dorito wish for with eagerness
- jinduito wish for with eagerness
- ochito wish for with eagerness
- râvnito long for inordinately or unlawfully
- tânjito long for inordinately or unlawfully
Russian жажда́ть, си́льно жела́ть
- жажда́ть (žaždátʹ)to wish for with eagerness
- си́льно жела́ть (sílʹno želátʹ)to wish for with eagerness
- жажда́ть (žaždátʹ)to long for inordinately or unlawfully
- си́льно жела́ть (sílʹno želátʹ)to long for inordinately or unlawfully
- жажда́ть (žaždátʹ)to have or indulge inordinate desire
- домога́ться (domogátʹsja)to have or indulge inordinate desire
- си́льно жела́ть (sílʹno želátʹ)to have or indulge inordinate desire
Slovak mať zálusk (na niečo)
- mať zálusk (na niečo)to wish for with eagerness
Spanish codiciar
- codiciarto wish for with eagerness
Swedish begära, sukta
- begärato wish for with eagerness
- suktato have or indulge inordinate desire
Tagalog imbutin
- imbutinto wish for with eagerness
Turkish imrenmek, gözü kalmak
- imrenmekto wish for with eagerness
- gözü kalmakto have or indulge inordinate desire
Cite this entry
APA
covet. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/covet
MLA
“covet.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/covet. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “covet,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/covet.
Source: covet on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.