to court
- verb
- /kɔrt/
- Formal
- If you can keep your intention to stay out of trouble, you may court my daughter.
- court and marry
- begin to court
- court a man
According to The Kinsey Report, every average man you know much prefers his lovey dovey to court when the temperature is low.
- According to The Kinsey Report, every average man you know much prefers his lovey dovey to court when the temperature is low.
Examples
-
Melissa, how long have you and this young man been courting?
-
Stanley Kowalski leaves his office and comes to my home to court me, in his way.
Fiction book (1999) -
Maybe you should court someone your own age.
-
Perhaps I'd only need to court her for three months.
-
The male is attempting to court the female.
-
I believe you should court the girl we met at Jamba Juice.
-
In a rather conventional series of events, they courted and got married.
Fiction book (2000) -
My wife and I used to go for a stroll in Victoria Park when we were courting.
-
You know, where I come from, when a man wants to court a woman, he at least brings her flowers, writes her charming love notes, and takes her to dinner and feeds her first.
-
He decided to court her by bringing flowers and taking her out on romantic dates.
Synonyms
To try to start a romantic relationship with someone
To try to get someone's love or romantic feelings
To try to attract someone you like, often with gifts or kind words
Antonyms
Idioms
- Informal
To reject something as silly and not take it seriously in places like a court or meeting
Phrasal Verbs
Compounds
The highest court in the United States that makes final decisions for all other courts
A court the national government uses to decide cases about laws for the whole country
- Formal
An official instruction from a court telling someone to do or stop doing something
- UK
The top group of judges in a country or state that hears the most important cases and appeals
A place in a shopping mall with many stalls selling different foods around shared tables
- Formal
The highest court in the United States that decides important national cases and reviews lower court decisions
- Formal
A group of judges who review and can change decisions from lower courts
- Formal
Showing disrespect to a judge or refusing to obey a court order that can be punished
- Formal
A group of officers who try members of the armed forces for breaking their rules
- Literature
The public's opinion about a person or issue formed outside a legal trial
The highest court in the United States that decides important questions about the law for the whole country
The highest group of judges in a U.S. state who decide appeals about state law
- Formal
A court that ends marriages and decides matters like child custody and property
- Informal
An unfair trial that pretends to be legal and decides guilt beforehand
An international court that settles disputes between countries and gives advice on international law
- Formal
A person or group not in a case who gives information about the law to help the court decide
- Informal
A strong, aggressive effort to reach a goal quickly, often to win support
A court that settles legal disputes between countries and gives legal advice to the United Nations
A secret United States court that allows electronic monitoring and searches for foreign intelligence
- Formal
A federal court that reviews cases from lower courts in a group of states
- Archaic
A lower court that handles minor crimes and sends serious cases to a higher court
- Formal
A military court that tries soldiers for less serious crimes, usually with three officers
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
- Formal
A court that handles disputes about trusts and wills and can order someone to stop actions, not criminal cases
- Formal
A court set up by a written agreement to decide disputes about a town or group's rules
- Archaic
A former county court in England that heard serious criminal and civil trials
- Formal
A court that deals with fairness in legal cases, like trusts and estates
- Formal
A court that deals with family matters like custody, divorce, and child support
- Formal
A court that deals with family problems like divorce, child custody, and support
- Formal
A quick military trial held in the field for urgent offenses without the usual rules
A major 1778 battle in New Jersey during the American Revolution where the British army withdrew
- Archaic
A small roadside hotel or group of cabins where you can park near your room
How Romantic
Surface Forms
Etymology
Court as a verb for romance grew from the same idea of attending a ruler's court to gain favour; over time it came to mean trying to win a person's love. To court someone is to try to become their romantic partner.