courtyard

noun

court·​yard ˈkȯrt-ˌyärd 

: a court or enclosure adjacent to a building (such as a house or palace)

Synonyms of courtyard

• patio
• quadrangle
• enclosure
• yard

Examples of courtyard in a Sentence

The apartment overlooks a courtyard.

a series of lunchtime concerts in the museum's open-air courtyard

Recent Examples on the Web

Destroyed cars in the courtyard of a residential building following a Russian drone attack on Kyiv on Wednesday. — Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 21 Oct. 2026

Take your drink to one of the sunken couches next to the fireplace, or head outside to the courtyard to mingle and relax under the open sky. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Oct. 2026

The Bangladeshi firm behind the project, Nakshabid Architects, was inspired by traditional Bengali homesteads, which are typically interspersed with courtyards and ponds. — Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026

Turns out, Shakespeare didn’t have to decide, because the story works equally well whether the reader believes the figure is ectoplasm in the castle courtyard or is a psychological manifestation of Hamlet’s nagging conscience. — Literary Hub, 13 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1552, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for courtyard

• asgard
• backyard
• barnyard
• blackguard
• bombard
• brickyard
• canard
• churchyard
• coastguard
• debarred
• diehard
• disbarred

Kids Definition

courtyard

noun

court·​yard -ˌyärd 

: a court or enclosure next to a building