courtesy

noun

cour·te·sy | \ ˈkər-tə-sē

, British also ˈkȯ-\

plural courtesies

Definition of courtesy

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : behavior marked by polished manners or respect for others : courteous behavior

b : a courteous and respectful act or expression

2a : 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

adjective

cour·te·sy | \ ˈkər-tə-sē

, British also ˈkȯ-\

Definition of courtesy (Entry 2 of 2)

: granted, provided, or performed as a courtesy or by way of courtesy (see courtesy entry 1) made a courtesy call on the ambassador

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about courtesy

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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.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

That’s courtesy of Catherine Belknap and Natalie Telfer, friends from high school who reconnected as first-time mothers. — Ellen Gamerman, WSJ, "Forget Attachment Parenting and Tiger Parenting, It’s Time to Take Care of Mom and Dad," 26 Jan. 2019 Photos courtesy of the Garda Air Support Unit, which is a mixed unit operated by Air Corps Pilots and Garda specialists. — James Rogers, Fox News, "Huge hidden WWII sign revealed on Irish coast," 6 Aug. 2018 Production design courtesy of decades of city leaders kissing developers’ asses. — Boots Riley, HWD, "Sorry to Bother You Director Boots Riley Takes a Ride Through Oakland’s Changing Landscape," 2 July 2018 The sudden growth spurt was courtesy of a pair of light pink, super-soled Buffalo sneakers from the label’s recent collaboration with Opening Ceremony. — Liana Satenstein, Vogue, "Gigi Hadid Steps Out In a Surprising New Sneaker," 26 June 2018 Video courtesy of Rachael Cholak Rachael Cholak dreams about doughnuts. — Elena Weissmann, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Meet Rachael Cholak, the girl with the doughnut tattoos," 25 June 2018 One of the favorite looks of the night happened to come courtesy of one of our favorites, Chrissy Metz. — Ana Colón, Glamour, "Golden Globes 2019: Everything to Know About Chrissy Metz's Custom Tanya Taylor Gown," 6 Jan. 2019 But Connecticut’s advantage over its neighbors has been narrowing, thanks in part to three significant income-tax hikes since the 2007-09 recession, two of which came courtesy of the incumbent governor, Democrat Dannel Malloy. — Stephen D. Eide, WSJ, "What’s the Matter With Connecticut?," 23 Nov. 2018 These came courtesy of Vasilis Marmatakis, who has worked extensively with Lanthimos on films like The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer. — Eliza Brooke, Vox, "Sorry to Bother You," 12 Nov. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Photos courtesy Ori Earlier this year, the MIT offshoot Ori launched an all-in-one robotic furniture system that made tiny apartments feel a little less tiny. — Liz Stinson, Curbed, "Ori’s new robotic furniture includes a bed that drops from the ceiling," 14 Nov. 2018 Photos courtesy of Caravan Outfitter The allure of #VanLife is strong, from the nomadic lifestyle to the ability to camp wherever, whenever. — Megan Barber, Curbed, "Modular camper van sleeps two and hauls gear, asks $37K," 22 Oct. 2018 The residents of Camp Shinnecock could hop in their courtesy cars and reach the players’ parking lot in 30 seconds. — Karen Crouse, New York Times, "By Land or by Sea, U.S. Open Golfers Got Creative About Their Lodging," 16 June 2018 Ehling missed the tag and Gulley got back safely, while courtesy runner Casey Greene stayed at third, and the bases were loaded. — James Weber, Cincinnati.com, "Highlands baseball, Drew Rom hold off McCracken in state baseball semifinals," 16 June 2018 The Dragons extended their lead to 4-0 in the second with an RBI double from Cade Bell that scored courtesy runner Jaxon Osterberg. — Brian Gosset, star-telegram, "Warden, Southlake Carroll dominate to win 6A state title," 9 June 2018 Loaded: 0% Progress: 0% 0:00 / 0:42 Watch killer footage of killer whales off coast of Monterey Advertisement Killer whales swim off the Monterey coast in May 2018 in this video courtesy Monterey Bay Whale Watch . — Don Sweeney, sacbee, "Watch 1,500 dolphins frolic with baby humpback whale off California in aerial video," 3 June 2018 Watson then hit his triple that allowed Sunseri and Stephen Perry, a courtesy runner, to score. — Justin Maskulinski, Houston Chronicle, "The Woodlands takes down Round Rock, advances to state tourney," 1 June 2018 Photos courtesy of Pacific Sotheby’s International Realty A crisp Donald Wexler midcentury modern is up for sale in that sunny California enclave of Palm Springs. — Lauren Ro, Curbed, "Nab this Donald Wexler midcentury pad in Palm Springs for $725K," 29 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.