courtesy

1 of 2

noun

cour·​te·​sy ˈkər-tə-sē How to pronounce courtesy (audio)
 British also  ˈkȯ-
plural courtesies
1
a
: behavior marked by polished manners or respect for others : courteous behavior
b
: a courteous and respectful act or expression
2
a
: general allowance despite facts : indulgence
hills called mountains by courtesy only
b
: consideration, cooperation, and generosity in providing something (such as a gift or privilege)
also : agency, means
used chiefly in the phrases through the courtesy of or by courtesy of or sometimes simply courtesy of

courtesy

2 of 2

adjective

cour·​te·​sy ˈkər-tə-sē How to pronounce courtesy (audio)
 British also  ˈkȯ-
: granted, provided, or performed as a courtesy or by way of courtesy (see courtesy entry 1)
made a courtesy call on the ambassador

Examples of courtesy in a Sentence

Noun Civilized life cannot be sustained without hypocrisy. A certain moral code, a degree of courtesy and decorum, are necessary to keep our instincts under a modicum of control. Ian Buruma, New York Review of Books, 2 Nov. 2006
Cara, who, courtesy of the cat, had a run in her leggings, picked up the phone in a panic … Helen Schulman, Wigwag, November 1990
"Coffee, sir?" asked a sailor. I nodded, still chilled. The courtesy, the ordinariness of these men was in the context somehow curious. Fred Reed, Harper's, September 1988
I tried to persuade him that all that Hamish Hamilton had attempted to do was to extend the kind of courtesies which cultural institutions thought to be his due. Isaiah Berlin, New York Times Book Review, 12 Apr. 1987
They treated us with courtesy and kindness. She did it as a courtesy, not because she had to. Everyone knows each other here, so we won't bother with the usual courtesies. They shook hands and exchanged courtesies before beginning their discussion. Adjective As the heir to an earldom, Stephen was obliged to pay a courtesy call on the British ambassador … Ken Follett, The Man from St. Petersburg, 1982
Important visitors to the conference were provided with courtesy cars. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Trending What follows is one undercooked feast of gruesome kills, final-girl pursuits, a few mild digs at capitalism, red herrings, blood-red interior decorating courtesy of decapitations, the occasional nod to that trailer, and a lot of dead air. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 17 Nov. 2023 The hotel staff wears posh uniforms courtesy of Arzu Kaprol, a designer who has a boutique in the nearby Paket Postanesi, a historic post office turned chic shopping mall. Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 16 Nov. 2023 Photo credits: Portraits courtesy of Tara Fisher for Africana, Kelly Marshall, Bob Hodson, Evan Sung. Kristin Braswell, Essence, 16 Nov. 2023 Privet, nandina, Bradford pear, porcelain berry and Asian bittersweet are all invasive berried plants that have spread courtesy of bird dispersal. Tovah Martin, Washington Post, 16 Nov. 2023 Spotlight Art work courtesy Fundación Almine y Bernard Ruiz-Picasso; Photograph by Hugard & Vanoverschelde Art The fiftieth anniversary of Pablo Picasso’s death has inspired plenty of exhibitions that go big or go deep. Condé Nast, The New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2023 Photo: Francois Duhamel / courtesy of Netflix Unlike Moore, who has now worked on five features with the director, May December marks Portman’s first collaboration with Haynes. Elaina Patton, Vogue, 16 Nov. 2023 Here’s the young, hot, and not-yet-corrupted version of the future president, courtesy of Billy the Kid’s Tom Blyth. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 16 Nov. 2023 Check out the numbers here, courtesy of CalMatters’ Jeremia Kimelman. Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 14 Nov. 2023
Adjective
Today, the 911 GT3 RS can generate 1,895 lbs (860 kg) of downforce at 285 km/h, with a low-downforce setting for lower speeds courtesy of active front and rear wing elements. Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 16 Oct. 2023 The jaw-dropping transformation comes courtesy stylist Dimitris Giannetos, who regularly works with Fox and a slate of stars like Joey King, Ciara and Gigi Hadid. Kara Nesvig, Allure, 6 Sep. 2023 Our testing also shows that the Tellis in fact works with most body types courtesy of their tailored shape and tailored leg. Maverick Li, Men's Health, 22 Aug. 2023 Greta Gerwig’s Barbie is a film rife with larger-than-life, extremely pink, across-the-board tremendous fashion, largely courtesy of costume designer Jacqueline Durran (who has powerfully informed the popularity of Barbiecore). Emma Specter, Vogue, 27 July 2023 That’s only partly courtesy of CL-20 – the Chinese have also developed technology to make propellants burn more efficiently and have built larger missiles than U.S. forces can bring to the fight by air or sea. Jeremy Bogaisky, Forbes, 9 Mar. 2023 Lopez even reintroduced the history-making gown in 2019, closing out the Italian brand's show during Milan Fashion Week in the dress, which was taken to new heights courtesy of a unitard silhouette and flowing train. Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2023 The gifts were courtesy of Jason Heyward, the 13-year veteran entering his first season in the Dodgers outfield. Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2023 Three of the Colonials goals were courtesy of rebounds, firing pucks on net and capitalizing on solid positioning out front to pounce upon bouncing pucks off the far-pad. Cam Kerry, BostonGlobe.com, 11 Mar. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'courtesy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Adjective

Middle English corteisie, from Anglo-French curteisie, from curteis — see courteous

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1613, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of courtesy was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near courtesy

Cite this Entry

“Courtesy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/courtesy. Accessed 7 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

courtesy

noun
cour·​te·​sy
ˈkərt-ə-sē
plural courtesies
1
: courtly politeness
2
: a favor courteously performed
3
: a favor as distinguished from a right
a title by courtesy only

More from Merriam-Webster on courtesy

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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