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court

court

390 1.1
An area marked for playing sports like tennis or basketball
  • noun
  • /kɔrt/
: pista
  • Such practice, Bradley said, gives you, on a basketball court, "a sense of where you are."
  • tennis court
  • basketball court
  • home court

You have like Wimbledon, like grass courts and it's a whole another thing.

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Examples

  • In the school, there was a tennis court and the fig tree was still there.

    Academic text (1995)
  • Junior training sessions will now take place on court six.

  • This is the closest I will ever get to being on center court of a great NCAA team.

  • I could race down the court dribbling the ball without having to watch it.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • They started out on the basketball court, but now...

  • We built a squash court.

  • The outside basketball courts were near the tennis courts, sometimes as near as 40 yards.

    Academic text (1995)
  • Ross is playing a game of full-court basketball with some other officers.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Specifically, eight outdoor basketball courts were available, second only to the number of handball courts.

    Academic text (2012)
  • After school, I would go to the basketball court and just practice my shots.

Synonyms

field
vscourt
∞ 1.0

An area marked for playing sports like soccer

is a marked area usually for smaller enclosed sports rather than wide outdoors
tennis court
vscourt
42 1.4

A flat area marked with lines and a net where people play tennis

is a general marked area used for many different sports
35 1.4

An indoor or outdoor area marked with lines for playing basketball

is a general marked area used for many different sports
pitch
vscourt
  • UK
17 2.6

An area of ground marked for playing sports like soccer

is a marked area usually for smaller enclosed sports rather than wide outdoors
playing field
vscourt
16 1.5

An area of land prepared and marked for playing sports

is a marked area usually for smaller enclosed sports rather than wide outdoors
home court
vscourt
11 3.0

The place where a sports team plays its own games for local fans

is a general marked area used for many different sports
playing area
vscourt
4 1.8

An area marked and prepared for sports, like a field or court

is a general marked area used for many different sports
squash court
vscourt
3 2.7

An indoor room with four walls where people play squash

is a general marked area used for many different sports
3 1.4

A marked area with a net where people play volleyball

is a general marked area used for many different sports
handball court
vscourt
1 3.1

An indoor or outdoor playing area with walls for handball

is a general marked area used for many different sports
fronton
vscourt
1 9.9

A building used for playing jai alai or pelota

is a general marked area used for many different sports
playfield
vscourt
1 4.0

The area of a game where the ball or puck moves

is a general marked area used for many different sports
badminton court
vscourt
1 2.1

An area marked for playing badminton with a net in the middle

is a general marked area used for many different sports

Idioms

out of court
  • Specialized
35 3.7

Without going to trial in a court

It is now someone's turn to act or decide

3 9.0

To reject something as silly and not take it seriously in places like a court or meeting

To let someone else decide what to do next

Compounds

∞ 3.1

The highest court in the United States that makes final decisions for all other courts

183 3.1

A court the national government uses to decide cases about laws for the whole country

court order
  • Formal
135 3.5

An official instruction from a court telling someone to do or stop doing something

82 5.0

A group of judges who review and can change decisions from lower courts

80 3.2

A place where a judge hears and decides cases about the law

court-martial
  • Specialized
78 7.4

A military court that tries soldiers for breaking military rules

68 4.5

The top group of judges in a country or state that hears the most important cases and appeals

appeals court
  • Specialized
58 4.4

A court that reviews and decides on cases from lower courts

57 3.2

The highest court in a country or state that reviews lower court decisions

42 1.4

A flat area marked with lines and a net where people play tennis

A court that deals with illegal acts and decides punishments

day in court
  • Formal
40 5.5

A time in court when someone can tell their side of the story

superior court
  • Specialized
39 5.3

A court that hears appeals and serious trials

The highest group of judges in a U.S. state who decide appeals about state law

An indoor or outdoor area marked with lines for playing basketball

lower court
  • Specialized
33 3.6

A court whose decisions can be reviewed by a higher court

The highest court in the United States that decides important national cases and reviews lower court decisions

family court
  • Formal
31 3.0

A court that deals with family problems like divorce and child custody

appellate court
  • Specialized
31 7.4

A court that reviews and can change decisions of lower courts

29 2.7

A place in a shopping mall with many stalls selling different foods around shared tables

22 5.7

A federal court that reviews cases from lower courts in a group of states

20 4.4

The public's opinion about a person or issue formed outside a legal trial

17 7.5

Showing disrespect to a judge or refusing to obey a court order that can be punished

A court that deals with children accused of crimes or needing care

13 4.9

A group of officers who try members of the armed forces for breaking their rules

full-court press
  • Informal
12 5.1

A strong, aggressive effort to reach a goal quickly, often to win support

12 4.1

A group of people who serve and advise a king or queen, like family and nobles

The highest court in the United States that decides important questions about the law for the whole country

11 3.0

The place where a sports team plays its own games for local fans

trial court
  • Specialized
11 3.7

A court where a case is first heard and the facts are decided

divorce court
  • Formal
10 3.7

A court that ends marriages and decides matters like child custody and property

10 3.2

The middle area of a basketball court near the center line

10 3.8

A place where judges decide legal cases and apply the law

kangaroo court
  • Informal
6 8.8

An unfair trial that pretends to be legal and decides guilt beforehand

6 5.0

An international court that settles disputes between countries and gives advice on international law

5 3.2

A place where a judge decides cases about breaking driving and parking rules

5 3.1

A place where a judge hears cases and gives decisions

An agreement that ends a legal dispute before it goes to court

probate court
  • Formal
4 7.6

A court that checks wills and manages a person's property after death

A court that settles legal disputes between countries and gives legal advice to the United Nations

moot court
  • Jargon
3 7.4

A practice court where law students argue pretend court cases

3 8.3

A formal appearance in court for a hearing

3 2.7

An indoor room with four walls where people play squash

A marked area with a net where people play volleyball

3 7.9

A person or group not in a case who gives information about the law to help the court decide

2 5.4

A court that holds criminal cases at night instead of during the day

A secret United States court that allows electronic monitoring and searches for foreign intelligence

An indoor or outdoor playing area with walls for handball

1 3.9

Going at an angle across the court from one side to the other

1 7.7

A military court that tries soldiers for less serious crimes, usually with three officers

1 4.1

A shot played at an angle across the court from one side to the other

1 9.9

A court that deals with fairness in legal cases, like trusts and estates

A court that deals with family problems like divorce, child custody, and support

1 9.8

A court that handles disputes about trusts and wills and can order someone to stop actions, not criminal cases

inferior court
  • Specialized
1 5.6

A court whose decisions a higher court can review and change

1 3.0

A game people play on a marked court like tennis or basketball

police court
  • Archaic
1 4.6

A lower court that handles minor crimes and sends serious cases to a higher court

An area marked for playing badminton with a net in the middle

tourist court
  • Archaic
1 7.7

A small roadside hotel or group of cabins where you can park near your room

court plaster
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A small sticky patch that covers a minor cut

charter court
  • Formal
1 8.1

A court set up by a written agreement to decide disputes about a town or group's rules

court tennis
  • Literature
1 9.9

An old indoor form of tennis played on a court with four walls

A court that deals with family matters like custody, divorce, and child support

A major 1778 battle in New Jersey during the American Revolution where the British army withdrew

The royal court where the king or queen accepts foreign ambassadors

provost court
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A military court that tries people for minor crimes during an occupation

1 3.4

A playing card that shows a person like a king, queen, or jack

A major American Civil War battle in May 1864 between Grant and Lee

A major 1778 battle in New Jersey during the American Revolution that made British troops leave

court of assize
  • Archaic
9.9

A former county court in England and Wales for serious criminal cases

A former county court in England that heard serious criminal and civil trials

A quick military trial held in the field for urgent offenses without the usual rules

How Big

stadium
516 1.4
arena
186 2.9
court
390 1.1
half-court
10 3.2

Surface Forms

court singular
courts plural

Etymology

Court comes from Latin cohors, meaning 'enclosure', and so a sports court is the marked or fenced area where you play a game. That is why we call the tennis or basketball playing area a 'court'.