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
Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 7 Nov. 2025
The demons transform into trauma, operating between flashbacks of the Santa Teresa covenant with bloody faces and slamming doors to the grocery store where Agnes works in the present.
—Michael Lee Simpson, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2025
Borrowers are willing to pay a lot more in interest than the traditional lengthy, expensive syndication process that requires ratings from S&P and Fitch, tough covenants, and sometimes long.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 26 Oct. 2025
In using his own sperm without his patients’ knowledge, experts told CNN, Peete violated that central covenant.
—Chelsea Bailey, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for covenant
Noun
In fact, the Catholic Church and many Protestant denominations do recognize the covenant.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for covenant
Noun
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In 2026, the governance vacuum will deepen—the Indus Waters Treaty suspended, Ethiopia’s Nile dam operational with no binding agreement, China building the world’s largest dam with no downstream treaty.—
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After 15 years, Spanish troops dispersed the settlement—which had grown to 4,000, and had its own cavalry—but subsequent maroon groups forced colonizers to sign treaties with them.—
Noun
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The contract includes a no-trade provision allowing Bregman to block deals without his consent.—
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Videos surfaced on social media showing Doncic taunting Schroder for turning down a four-year, $84 million contract with the Lakers in 2021.—
Noun
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The agreement includes bipartisan bills worked out by the Senate Appropriations Committee to fund parts of government — food aid, veterans programs and the legislative branch, among other things.—
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There’s near-universal agreement from all kinds of housing observers that the affordability crisis is one of (non)-supply and demand.—
Verb
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Players’ associations could argue such a policy interferes with athletes’ freedom to contract and must be collectively bargained as a condition of employment.—
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The announcement comes after resort ownership and its patrollers union, which have been bargaining since June, reached an impasse in negotiations.—
Verb
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Suamataia’s performance was promising enough that Kansas City moved Thuney to the Chicago Bears in March.—
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Leo, who has promised to keep Francis' signature policies such as welcoming gay Catholics and discussing women's ordination, echoed his predecessor's frequent criticisms of the global economic system during his remarks on Tuesday.—
Noun
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The goal of the pact is to strengthen military capabilities in the Pacific, aiming to promote deterrence and stability in a region that has seen a major buildup by China.—
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On the video side, Amazon this year has been busy signing up DSP partners, inking recent pacts with Netflix, Disney and Roku for programmatic ad sales.—
Noun
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Major oil companies remain hesitant about Venezuela investments due to political instability, past expropriations and uncertainty over contract protections and guarantees.—
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When Ukraine agreed to give up the nuclear weapons on its soil in the mid-1990s, Russia provided a security guarantee that proved worthless.—
Noun
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Developers like Ozdemir are betting that Indianapolis will continue to be a convention powerhouse, especially with the new Signia Hotel that will open the door to hosting two conventions at once.—
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The two recently returned from the annual convention in Nashville, Tenn.—
Cite this Entry
“Covenant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/covenant. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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