courtesy

noun cour·te·sy \ ˈkər-tə-sē , British also ˈkȯ- \

|Updated on: 10 Jul 2018

Examples: courtesy in a Sentence

Definition of courtesy

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

See courtesy defined for English-language learners

See courtesy defined for kids

Examples of courtesy in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of courtesy from the Web

In that regard, perhaps the Sixers’ fruitless meeting with LeBron’s people really was the genuine kind of courtesy.

— david murphy, Philly.com, "How LeBron James' decision may change Sixers' Star Hunt approach | David Murphy," 2 July 2018
The ship’s captain sounded the boat’s horn with two long blasts to salute the migrants after their shared journey, and raised a yellow flag to signal permission to authorities to board and a Maltese flag as a courtesy for allowing the ship to dock.

— Washington Post, "Rescuers face scrutiny as 234 migrants reach safe haven," 27 June 2018
Federal officials as a courtesy have told the Catholic Charities volunteers that a bus with about 100 people on it will arrive at 2 p.m. from the Ursula Detention Center a few miles away.

— trevor hughes, USA TODAY, "Texas border chaos: Courts, families, government collide in zero-tolerance debacle," 22 June 2018
Cute quirkiness, courtesy of writer- director Shana Feste, is the order of the day.

— peter rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, "The cast outshines the material in road trip movie ‘Boundaries’," 22 June 2018
Pictured courtesy of Roaring Brook Nature Center is a Calico Pennant.

— Courant Community, "Community News For The Valley Edition," 29 May 2018
As a courtesy, Trump invited Nadler to his office in Trump Tower to show him the plans.

— jeffrey toobin, The New Yorker, "Will the Fervor for Impeachment Start a Democratic Civil War?," 19 May 2018
For her second wedding dress today, courtesy of Stella McCartney, the bride channeled the late Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, wife of John F. Kennedy Jr. Markle has always been a fan of Kennedy's style.

— erica gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Meghan Markle's Second Wedding Dress Channels Carolyn Bessette Kennedy's Simple Elegance," 19 May 2018
Under the skin The internal combustion side of things is courtesy of a 2.9L direct-injection twin-turbo V6.

— jonathan m. gitlin, Ars Technica, "Porsche’s Panamera 4 E-Hybrid Sport Turismo is a heck of a hybrid," 16 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'courtesy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of courtesy

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

courtesy Synonyms

courtesy

adjective cour·te·sy \ ˈkər-tə-sē , British also ˈkȯ- \

Definition of courtesy

: granted, provided, or performed as a courtesy or by way of courtesy (see ¹courtesy)

made a courtesy call on the ambassador

See courtesy defined for English-language learners

Examples of courtesy in a Sentence

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.