Definition of covenantnext
1
as in treaty
a formal agreement between two or more nations or peoples the two countries signed a peace covenant that, it was hoped, would put an end to decades of bitter conflict

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2
3
as in agreement
an arrangement about action to be taken the covenant that existed among neighbors in olden times whereby they would quickly respond to the call to help put out one another's house fires

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1
as in to bargain
to come to an arrangement as to a course of action a traditional rule held that a husband could not enter into a covenant with his wife, because that was the equivalent of covenanting with himself

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2
as in to promise
to make a solemn declaration of intent the home buyers had to covenant that they would restore and keep the house for at least 10 years in exchange for a low mortgage rate

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of covenant
Noun
During the last legislative session, Matos succesfully pushed part of his grocery affordability agenda, including a bill to end the practice of restrictive covenants, that stop grocery stores from being able to open. — Wheeler Cowperthwaite, The Providence Journal, 10 Sep. 2026 The school also reclassified some restricted funds to satisfy bond covenants. — Bloomberg, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2026 Interim operating covenants laid out in the merger agreement allow for WBD to run itself as an independent entity while the deal moves toward closing. — Lillian Rizzo, CNBC, 26 Aug. 2026 This structure lets legal, financial and commercial advisors concentrate effort on issues that influence transaction architecture, particularly those requiring adjustments to representations, covenants or indemnification constructs. — Keegan Caldwell, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for covenant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for covenant
Noun
  • Would an invasion of Canada trigger Article 5 of the collective defense treaty requiring all members to come to Canada’s rescue?
    — Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026
  • International treaties and agreements govern the use and proliferation of the inputs used to create biological, chemical and nuclear weapons.
    — Elizabeth Shackelford, Chicago Tribune, 2 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Sentara Health, a hospital system in Virginia with more than $14 billion of revenue, recently went through a contract dispute with Anthem, the health plan owned by Elevance Health.
    — Bob Herman, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026
  • SeaGuardian is the maritime variant of the MQ-9B Uncrewed Aircraft System (UAS) operated by the USN as part of a Company-Owned, Company-Operated (COCO) contract with GA-ASI supporting an ongoing capability assessment for the 7th Fleet.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 4 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Instead of forcing agreement, stay curious about what needs tweaking.
    — Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The effort is part of the agreement between the DAF and Northrop Grumman that increases annual B-21 production capacity by 25% while maintaining focus on cost, schedule and performance.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Salary caps in the NFL, NBA and NHL, along with the luxury-tax system in MLB, are lawful because they’ve been collectively bargained.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 28 Sep. 2026
  • To speed things up, Democrats want amendment votes, most notably one that would allow college athletes to collectively bargain.
    — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 22 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The electric motors run on an 850-volt architecture that promises up to 400 miles of range, with up to 200 miles added in as little as 13 minutes of charging.
    — Erik Shilling, Robb Report, 7 Oct. 2026
  • So fraternities promise that kind of friendship and loyalty, and also for young people, 18-year-olds, many of whom are unsure of themselves, fraternities and sororities say this is the way to be popular.
    — Richard Hall, Time, 7 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Tony Romo carved out new terrain at CBS Sports after revealing a knack for predicting game play — all but forcing CBS to re-sign the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback to a multi-season pact in 2020 valued at around $17 million a year.
    — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 2 Oct. 2026
  • As part of the pact, Sanofi is paying Regeneron $1 billion upfront, with possible milestone payments of up to $7 billion more.
    — Andrew Joseph, STAT, 1 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Certain weather changes are common during El Niños, but there are no guarantees that extreme weather events this winter will match those predictions for every region.
    — Lauren Sommer, NPR, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Plenty of things cost relatively little but provide significant value, such as clear pricing, FAQs, credentials, reviews, guarantees and useful takeaways.
    — David Cozzens, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • The new Four Seasons is in the middle of Back Bay, an enormous tourism hub (and Boston’s convention-center epicenter).
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The president made a similar pledge at the Republican National Committee’s first midterm convention in Dallas last month.
    — Luke Fountain, CNBC, 4 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Covenant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/covenant. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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