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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in contract
a formal agreement to fulfill an obligation
I had to sign a covenant that I would return the rental car on time
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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Recent Examples of covenant
Amelie Botbol, FOXNews.com, 8 Apr. 2026
Your neighbor may be violating the covenants, conditions and restrictions (CC&Rs).
—Abigail Van Buren, Boston Herald, 29 Mar. 2026
Your neighbor may be violating the covenants, conditions and restrictions.
—Jeanne Phillips, Dallas Morning News, 29 Mar. 2026
For decades, discriminatory housing policies — including redlining, racially restrictive covenants and predatory land-sale contracts — systematically extracted the very wealth from Black families that fuels neighborhood investment.
—Tonika Lewis Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for covenant
Noun
Any pastor or priest, politician or podcaster, who charges that the modern children of Israel are anything other than the direct descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and the beneficiaries of God’s unbreakable covenant with Israel, Hagee said, is not preaching the word of God.
—Amelie Botbol, FOXNews.com, 8 Apr. 2026
Your neighbor may be violating the covenants, conditions and restrictions (CC&Rs).
—Abigail Van Buren, Boston Herald, 29 Mar. 2026
Your neighbor may be violating the covenants, conditions and restrictions.
—Jeanne Phillips, Dallas Morning News, 29 Mar. 2026
For decades, discriminatory housing policies — including redlining, racially restrictive covenants and predatory land-sale contracts — systematically extracted the very wealth from Black families that fuels neighborhood investment.
—Tonika Lewis Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for covenant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for covenant
Noun
-
That has spurred renewed interest in a clause in the EU's foundational treaties about mutual assistance if a member nation is attacked.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
25 Apr. 2026
-
These proposals influenced numerous other declarations and treaties, including Europe’s Copyright for Creativity, the Access to Knowledge Treaty, and the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Development Agenda.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Yeah, another year each on their contracts.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Winters, who is entering the final year of his contract, apparently became expendable after the Niners brought back Dre Greenlaw in free agency.—
Matt Barrows,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
On April 14th, as Kyiv braced for a round of Russian strikes, the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, was seven hundred and fifty miles away, in Berlin, forging a defense agreement with Germany, part of a tour of European allies to raise support for military aid.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Set one clear agreement, confirm who’s responsible, and follow through so everything stays consistent without needing to be reset later.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
There is an obligation under labor law to bargain over changes to employment during the term of the agreement.—
Katie Kilkenny,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Apr. 2026
-
One way to prevent these kinds of cases is for eligibility rules to be collectively bargained with a college athletes’ union or unions.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The standoff beneath the bridge, where whole neighborhoods were dislocated by construction and residents had long been promised a park, quickly attracted national attention.—
Jeff McDonald,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
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Shortly after, the President held a press conference and promised the dinner would be rescheduled.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
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According to Associated Administrators of Los Angeles/Teamsters Local 2010, which represents about 3,000 LAUSD administrators, roughly 96% of its members voted in favor of the labor pact.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The pact also calls for strengthening operational capacities of the Haiti National Police and Armed Forces of Haiti, defining cooperation protocols with the Gang Suppression Force and the reactivation of the National Commission for Disarmament, Dismantlement and Reintegration.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
There’s no guarantee that new maps across the country will play out the way two parties hope.—
Bill Barrow,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
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The most popular VPNs are ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and PureVPN—all of which offer a 30-day money-back guarantee.—
Katie Decker-Jacoby,
StyleCaster,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But even that is uncertain; Bianco won more delegates at the state party convention, though neither candidate cleared the threshold needed to win a formal endorsement.—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
26 Apr. 2026
-
The New England cannabis convention going on the same day in Boston has more juice than the GOP confab in Worcester.—
Joe Battenfeld,
Boston Herald,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Covenant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/covenant. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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