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

Paltrow, now 53, and Affleck, also 53, dated for three years, on and off, in the late 1990s — and began their courtship just before his 1997 film Good Will Hunting, premiered. —Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026

The baile also represents strong emotion — passion, courtship, everything from sadness to joy. —Adam Harrington, CBS News, 19 Jan. 2026

Flashbacks to their courtship reveal the magnetic romantic charge that brought them together, while also demonstrating how that intensity would ultimately curdle into acrimony. —Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Jan. 2026

The constant public flood of information about the Giants’ Harbaugh courtship, meanwhile, is another fascinating part of this drama. —Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 17 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1596, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for courtship

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

Kids Definition

courtship

noun

court·​ship -ˌship 

: the act or process of courting