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

The Rooms Tucked around a corner past the lobby, the 47 guest rooms overlook a large courtyard. —Kristin Braswell, Travel + Leisure, 27 Feb. 2026

The two-story apartment house, with pink stripes that race around the facade of pink keystone and white stucco, curves around an immaculate courtyard dominated by a date palm and strangler fig tree. —Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2026

That includes things like Chicago's signature bungalows, or the city's courtyard apartment and condo buildings. —Zak Spector, CBS News, 27 Feb. 2026

An army of college servants swept river silt from the courtyards. —Literary Hub, 26 Feb. 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