courtship

noun

court·​ship ˈkȯrt-ˌship 

: the act, process, or period of courting

Synonyms of courtship

• dating
• romance

Examples of courtship in a Sentence

They had a two-year courtship before marrying.

The male of the species often displays aggression during courtship.

the President's courtship of middle-class voters

Recent Examples on the Web

Worries like hers are feeding a wider backlash against Milei's courtship of Big Tech. — ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026

Instead of courtships, there was a steady churn of casual hookups among employees, where new female hires were treated like incoming freshmen, explains Zapcic. — Alessandra Schade, Vanity Fair, 28 Oct. 2026

Her stories depicted Irish estates, London courtships, and heroes who ranged from dashing to bumbling. — Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026

Media coverage of Kreiz’s courtship of Rice is one of the spurs that pushed Netflix to make the move on a hire that will have ripple effects across its expansive film and TV operations. — Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 17 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1596, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for courtship

• airship
• airstrip
• clerkship
• equip
• filmstrip
• flagship
• headship
• heirship
• judgeship
• kinship
• lightship
• midship

Kids Definition

courtship

noun

court·​ship -ˌship 

: the act or process of courting