as in dating
the series of social engagements shared by a couple looking to get married
after two years of courting, they finally married
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in wooing
to act so as to make (something) more likely
you're courting disaster if you keep playing with matches
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in making love
to go on dates that may eventually lead to marriage
they courted for a year before getting married
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 courting
Seija Rankin,
HollywoodReporter,
31 May 2026
But Armour, who grew up swimming alongside these creatures and works for local outfitter Diving With Giants, is doing his best translation of their cetacean courting calls.
—
Adam Erace,
Fortune,
24 May 2026
It’s often said that age is just a number, and a new Netflix reality dating series will soon put the old adage to the test by taking age entirely out of the courting equation.
—
Tiney Ricciardi,
Denver Post,
10 Mar. 2026
During Netflix’s courting process, co-CEO Ted Sarandos said all the right things and won over many inside HBO with the idea that the brand would stay intact and operate as its own quality label, much like FX inside Hulu and Disney.
—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
2 Mar. 2026
The courting of crypto He has been courting crypto ever since.
—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Feb. 2026
And his courting of white nationalists and antisemites changed the face of the party.
—
S.e. Cupp,
New York Daily News,
4 Feb. 2026
With the courting process complete, Harbaugh is now tasked with turning around the beleaguered franchise that has made just two playoff appearances over the past 12 years and not made it past the divisional round.
—
Stephen Whyno,
Twin Cities,
17 Jan. 2026
Truth is, romance isn’t solely about the grand gestures and lavish courting.
—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
10 Jan. 2026
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
27 June 2026
In his place, acting President Delcy Rodríguez has been cautiously liberalizing the economy and courting foreign oil companies, while currying favor with Washington pragmatically and seeking relief from crushing sanctions.
—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
25 June 2026
The Sudanese conflict has conscripted the neighboring countries who are selfishly courting either faction for resources or political standing, as well as greedy, exploitative foreign powers who repeatedly leverage religious and cultural tensions in the region, into the fight for profit.
—
Janine Di Giovanni,
Vanity Fair,
25 June 2026
Lalas’ apparent delight in courting the enmity of the American viewing public also extends to his co-hosts—so much so that his early verbal scuffles with Zlatan Ibrahimović have gone more viral than whooping cough.
—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
24 June 2026
Soon, Kirk, who was from the suburbs of Chicago, began courting donors in Palm Beach.
—
Eliza Griswold,
New Yorker,
22 June 2026
Once one of the kingdom’s more conservative areas, Aseer is now courting domestic crowds and foreign tourists alike.
—
Manal Albarakati,
semafor.com,
16 June 2026
Although Meta was heavily courting third-party developers with Llama, May said the company's efforts under Wang seem geared toward internal uses.
—
Jonathan Vanian,julia Boorstin,
CNBC,
14 June 2026
Spotify has eliminated a temporary logo, months after courting user backlash to the design that many felt was visually unappealing.
—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 June 2026
Noun
Some of it was sought-after — Levinson is a provocateur, and his courting of controversy has earned the series nine Emmy wins and far more nominations.
—
Seija Rankin,
HollywoodReporter,
31 May 2026
But Armour, who grew up swimming alongside these creatures and works for local outfitter Diving With Giants, is doing his best translation of their cetacean courting calls.
—
Adam Erace,
Fortune,
24 May 2026
It’s often said that age is just a number, and a new Netflix reality dating series will soon put the old adage to the test by taking age entirely out of the courting equation.
—
Tiney Ricciardi,
Denver Post,
10 Mar. 2026
During Netflix’s courting process, co-CEO Ted Sarandos said all the right things and won over many inside HBO with the idea that the brand would stay intact and operate as its own quality label, much like FX inside Hulu and Disney.
—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
2 Mar. 2026
The courting of crypto He has been courting crypto ever since.
—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Feb. 2026
And his courting of white nationalists and antisemites changed the face of the party.
—
S.e. Cupp,
New York Daily News,
4 Feb. 2026
With the courting process complete, Harbaugh is now tasked with turning around the beleaguered franchise that has made just two playoff appearances over the past 12 years and not made it past the divisional round.
—
Stephen Whyno,
Twin Cities,
17 Jan. 2026
Truth is, romance isn’t solely about the grand gestures and lavish courting.
—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
The biggest of big media — from Amazon to Fox and Tubi to Netflix — are aggressively courting creators for deals as marketers scramble to tap into the heat around personalities who ply their trade on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and the like.
—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
27 June 2026
In his place, acting President Delcy Rodríguez has been cautiously liberalizing the economy and courting foreign oil companies, while currying favor with Washington pragmatically and seeking relief from crushing sanctions.
—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
25 June 2026
The Sudanese conflict has conscripted the neighboring countries who are selfishly courting either faction for resources or political standing, as well as greedy, exploitative foreign powers who repeatedly leverage religious and cultural tensions in the region, into the fight for profit.
—
Janine Di Giovanni,
Vanity Fair,
25 June 2026
Lalas’ apparent delight in courting the enmity of the American viewing public also extends to his co-hosts—so much so that his early verbal scuffles with Zlatan Ibrahimović have gone more viral than whooping cough.
—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
24 June 2026
Soon, Kirk, who was from the suburbs of Chicago, began courting donors in Palm Beach.
—
Eliza Griswold,
New Yorker,
22 June 2026
Once one of the kingdom’s more conservative areas, Aseer is now courting domestic crowds and foreign tourists alike.
—
Manal Albarakati,
semafor.com,
16 June 2026
Although Meta was heavily courting third-party developers with Llama, May said the company's efforts under Wang seem geared toward internal uses.
—
Jonathan Vanian,julia Boorstin,
CNBC,
14 June 2026
Spotify has eliminated a temporary logo, months after courting user backlash to the design that many felt was visually unappealing.
—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for courting
Noun
-
Online dating remains a popular way people search for a partner but some are dumping the platforms.
-
This is one of the best periods in a twelve-year cycle for true love and dating, fertility or connecting with children, expression and artistry, as well as hobbies and just having fun!
Verb
-
Having not spent more than £3million ($4m) on a player on the way to the top division, the £16m transfer from Roma of Enzo Le Fee was confirmed, while majority shareholder Kyril Louis-Dreyfus used his Swiss contacts to start wooing Granit Xhaka.
-
With the June 2 primary days away, California’s top three governor hopefuls barnstormed the state Friday, wooing unions, firing attacks and sharpening contrasts in a tight, high-stakes race.
Cite this Entry
“Courting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/courting. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
