court

²court

verb

Definition of COURT

transitive verb

1

a : to seek to gain or achieve <court power> b (1) : allure, tempt (2) : to act so as to invite or provoke <courts disaster>

2

a : to seek the affections of; especially : to seek to win a pledge of marriage from b of an animal : to perform actions in order to attract for mating <a male bird courting a female>

3

a : to seek to attract (as by solicitous attention or offers of advantages) <college teams courting high school basketball stars> b : to seek an alliance with

intransitive verb

1

: to engage in social activities leading to engagement and marriage

2

of an animal : to engage in activity leading to mating

Examples of COURT

1. The couple courted for two years before marrying.
2. He was courting his college sweetheart.
3. a pair of robins courting
4. The male will sometimes court the female for hours.
5. college teams courting high school basketball stars
6. The speech was clearly intended to court middle-class voters.

First Known Use of COURT

1567

Related to COURT

Synonyms: ask (for), flirt (with), invite, woo, look for, go steady, keep company, make love

Related Words: angle (for), fish (for); hunt, search, seek; provoke, tempt

see all synonyms and antonyms

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