court 1 of 2

noun

ˈkȯrt How to pronounce court (audio)
Definition of courtnext
1
as in palace
the residence of a ruler Hampton Court was the imposing residence of King Henry VIII

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2
as in courtyard
an open space wholly or partly enclosed (as by buildings or walls) the art museum boasts a glass-sided court that is filled with an array of greenery and sculpture

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3
as in tribunal
an assembly of persons for the administration of justice this court is now called to order

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4
as in judge
a public official having authority to decide questions of law if it please the court, I'd like to approach the bench

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court

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to woo
to act so as to make (something) more likely you're courting disaster if you keep playing with matches

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2
as in to date
to go on dates that may eventually lead to marriage they courted for a year before getting married

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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 court
Noun
Child safety experts lauded the settlement and the accompanying pressure campaign as a giant leap forward in the effort to regulate an industry that until this year appeared all but impenetrable to reform, either from the courts or legislatures. — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026 Before GLP-1s won over insurers and consumers alike, a whole generation of obesity drugs failed to reach blockbuster status; some instead went to bankruptcy court. — Avalon Pernell, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026
Verb
Candidates in both parties are distancing themselves from projects their leaders once courted. — Mark Drapeau, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026 Graeme Sloan / Bloomberg via Getty Images Republicans in some of this fall’s biggest races are embracing growing backlash to data centers in the hopes of courting voters unhappy with the industry. — Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 24 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for court
Recent Examples of Synonyms for court
  1. palace
  2. courtyard
  3. tribunal
  4. judge
  5. woo
  6. date
  7. enclosure
  8. magistrate
Noun
  • Since Harald's death Friday morning, tens of thousands of Norwegians have expressed their grief by laying flowers, writing cards and lighting candles in front of the royal palace in Oslo, where the coffin arrived late Friday from the hospital.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026
  • This location is more residential, with quieter streets and approachable local trattorias, but offers several architecturally significant palaces and one of the city's oldest churches, the 11th-century San Zan Degola.
    — Irene S. Levine, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of palace
Noun
  • In kitchens, courtyards, bedrooms and on the streets, women shared jokes, secrets, gestures of care and moments of freedom.
    — PhotoVogue, Vogue, 29 Aug. 2026
  • All eight workers in the electrical maintenance shop as well as a worker in the courtyard were killed.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of courtyard
Noun
  • Many leaders of the slaughter were tried and convicted by a United Nations war crimes tribunal that has now closed down.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The tribunal found that Mladic, together with late Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic and Bosnian Serb political leader Radovan Karadzic, were part of a criminal conspiracy to implement the plan.
    — Ivana Sekularac, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of tribunal
Noun
  • The judge issued his ruling at the conclusion of a court session Tuesday, which continued the preliminary hearing that was largely held over a week in early July before a nearly two-month recess to prepare for closing arguments.
    — Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 2 Sep. 2026
  • One of the owners is asking a judge to enforce a settlement agreement that would sell the hospitals to Insight and have the hospitals’ current CEO step down as leader of the facilities.
    — Lisa Schencker, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of judge
Verb
  • Tennessee has been wooing Paramount, and Ellison’s father, Larry Ellison, had moved his software behemoth Oracle to Nashville two years ago.
    — Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026
  • But the general election requires Hilton to woo more than just GOP voters to win it all.
    — Linh Tat, Daily News, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of woo
Verb
  • Nevertheless, online daters use LinkedIn as a vetting tool, with almost half of Zety’s survey respondents believing that information posted to the platform is more reliable than jobs and college attendance shown on dating apps such as Hinge.
    — Sarah Glodek, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The two start ambivalently sleeping together, and then dating each other.
    — Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of date
Noun
  • Love said a wild skunk was found in the goat enclosure on July 29, and the animal was shot and burned.
    — Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The sedan crossed Southgate Street and crashed into a dumpster enclosure at a business, police said.
    — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of enclosure
Noun
  • The Islamabad district magistrate appointed a multiagency fact-finding committee with directions to submit a report within 24 hours.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The Islamabad district magistrate appointed a fact-finding committee and asked it to submit a report within 24 hours.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of magistrate

Phrases Containing court

Browse Nearby Words

coursing
court
courted
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Cite this Entry

“Court.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/court. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on court

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about court

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