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
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
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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
Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 14 Mar. 2025
Others believe that human sexuality should be expressed within a male-female covenant and that male and female sexuality are immutable qualities determined by chromosomes present at the beginning of life.
—Krista Kafer, The Denver Post, 12 Mar. 2025
For what period? Is there a covenant not to compete after termination of employment?
—Allbusiness, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2025
The company maintains compliance with all financial covenants under its credit facilities.
—Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for covenant
Noun
The company was not in compliance with the consolidated net leverage ratio covenant under its Credit Agreement as of December 31, 2024, but has entered into an amendment with lenders to waive the non-compliance, subject to certain refinancing milestones by June 30, 2025.
—Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 14 Mar. 2025
Others believe that human sexuality should be expressed within a male-female covenant and that male and female sexuality are immutable qualities determined by chromosomes present at the beginning of life.
—Krista Kafer, The Denver Post, 12 Mar. 2025
For what period? Is there a covenant not to compete after termination of employment?
—Allbusiness, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2025
The company maintains compliance with all financial covenants under its credit facilities.
—Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for covenant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for covenant
Noun
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Over this period, Washington and Moscow have been engaging in serious efforts to limit and reduce their arsenals of nuclear weapons, sometimes through treaties and sometimes through unilateral initiatives conducted in parallel.—
Rose Gottemoeller,
Foreign Affairs,
15 Apr. 2025
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Trump threatened earlier this year to levy additional tariffs against Mexico after the country missed the deadline to send over water to the U.S. from the Rio Grande River, stipulated by a 1944 treaty.—
Filip Timotija,
The Hill,
15 Apr. 2025
Noun
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This is rare in an industry where many companies rely on contract manufacturers and private-label products.—
Xandra Harbet,
USA Today,
26 Apr. 2025
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Under its new contract with ICE, Avelo will operate as a sub-carrier of CSI.—
Megan Cerullo,
CBS News,
25 Apr. 2025
Noun
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So there’s a mutual agreement between the two, or mutual benefits, that are quite tolerable—or even pleasurable.—
Mark Holgate,
Vogue,
15 Apr. 2025
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The two countries are set to sign about 40 agreements across multiple sectors – including cooperation on railways, agricultural trade and the digital and green economy, Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son said on Saturday, according to Reuters.—
Nectar Gan,
CNN Money,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The association contends these actions violate state rules requiring public employers to bargain over such matters, infringing on deputies’ rights and the union’s ability to represent them.—
Ryan Macasero,
Mercury News,
18 Apr. 2025
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The proposals were aimed at protecting government employees’ ability to collectively bargain amid attacks by the Trump administration, preventing cuts to food stamps and to show support for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Ukraine, respectively.—
Al Weaver,
The Hill,
5 Apr. 2025
Verb
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This engine powers their Sunbird spacecraft, which promises to make space missions faster, cheaper and more efficient.—
Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report,
FOXNews.com,
24 Apr. 2025
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The job promises to be highly sought after as Trump officials plan to pour billions of dollars into building detention facilities as part of the president’s push to deport more immigrants.—
Jeff Ernsthausen,
ProPublica,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The company also struck a new distribution pact with DirecTV and expanded its portfolio of sports rights, securing the rights to broadcast the Olympics in Mexico through 2032.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
24 Apr. 2025
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The leaders signed new pacts covering railways, trade, security, and technology, including plans for a Kenyan consulate in Guangzhou.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
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There is no magic formula for how to get this right, and there is no guarantee that Trump’s approach will succeed.—
A. Wess Mitchell,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Apr. 2025
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As for who might succeed Francis, experts say that since the late pope appointed many cardinals, his successor could be someone who shares his ideas and vision for the church, but there's no guarantee.—
David Chiu,
People.com,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
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For a generation of music-and-fashion obsessives, Williams, 52, is revered as the original hip-hop eccentric: highly expressive, unapologetically audacious, unafraid to flout menswear conventions, especially the hypermasculine tropes ascribed to rap music.—
Chioma Nnadi,
Vogue,
15 Apr. 2025
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And while in many categories a Super Bowl ad is no proof of the entrepreneurial, in January, Horwood and her team broke company and category conventions with a campaign to raise awareness and drive screenings for breast cancer.—
Seth Matlins,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Covenant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/covenant. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
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