as in dating
the series of social engagements shared by a couple looking to get married
after two years of courting, they finally married
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in wooing
to act so as to make (something) more likely
you're courting disaster if you keep playing with matches
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in making love
to go on dates that may eventually lead to marriage
they courted for a year before getting married
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of courting
Caroline Vakil, The Hill, 17 Aug. 2025
Advertisement Back at home, Democrats hit out at Trump for his courting of Putin.
—Rebecca Schneid, Time, 16 Aug. 2025
The effort and time that goes into courting, the intentionality of charming someone, are part of the fun for me and doing so in person is the icing on the cake.
—Aj Mason, Them., 8 Aug. 2025
Kelsey Warner, semafor.com, 27 Aug. 2025
The timing prompted speculation about whether or not politics were involved in the decision, as Colbert had just used his platform to slam CBS' parent company, Paramount, for courting favor with Trump by agreeing to donate millions toward his future presidential library.
—Meredith Kile, People.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Organizations in Japan had been actively courting tourists from the 1920s onward—initially as a boost to the economy, but, after war broke out, as a key propaganda strategy as well.
—H.m.a. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 22 Aug. 2025
In the late 1970s, under Deng Xioping, policies improved as the government allowed communal farms to divide up land into individual plots and then tolerated small business, later courting foreign investment.
—Bill Conerly, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
The couple married in a private ceremony in May 2024, after courting rumors about their relationship as far back as 2021 amid a series of public appearances.
—EW.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Washington, which has been courting India as a strategic counterweight to China, is inadvertently pushing the two Asian giants closer together with its economic policies, analysts say.
—Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2025
Adcock, a Georgia native, hasn’t been shy about courting controversy since signing with Warner Music Nashville last year.
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2025
The winter trees that circle the small lake are bare, but what about the pigeons swelling themselves up for courting, chasing their sweethearts across the grass?
—Deborah Levy, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Noun
More importantly, he’s seen as Kemp’s preferred pick in the race after the governor declined an opportunity to run himself despite much courting from his party.
—Caroline Vakil, The Hill, 17 Aug. 2025
Advertisement Back at home, Democrats hit out at Trump for his courting of Putin.
—Rebecca Schneid, Time, 16 Aug. 2025
The effort and time that goes into courting, the intentionality of charming someone, are part of the fun for me and doing so in person is the icing on the cake.
—Aj Mason, Them., 8 Aug. 2025
Verb
Lunate is largely courting Gulf pension funds, institutions, and family offices to tap outside capital, a person familiar with the matter told Semafor.
—Kelsey Warner, semafor.com, 27 Aug. 2025
The timing prompted speculation about whether or not politics were involved in the decision, as Colbert had just used his platform to slam CBS' parent company, Paramount, for courting favor with Trump by agreeing to donate millions toward his future presidential library.
—Meredith Kile, People.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Organizations in Japan had been actively courting tourists from the 1920s onward—initially as a boost to the economy, but, after war broke out, as a key propaganda strategy as well.
—H.m.a. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 22 Aug. 2025
In the late 1970s, under Deng Xioping, policies improved as the government allowed communal farms to divide up land into individual plots and then tolerated small business, later courting foreign investment.
—Bill Conerly, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
The couple married in a private ceremony in May 2024, after courting rumors about their relationship as far back as 2021 amid a series of public appearances.
—EW.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Washington, which has been courting India as a strategic counterweight to China, is inadvertently pushing the two Asian giants closer together with its economic policies, analysts say.
—Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2025
Adcock, a Georgia native, hasn’t been shy about courting controversy since signing with Warner Music Nashville last year.
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2025
The winter trees that circle the small lake are bare, but what about the pigeons swelling themselves up for courting, chasing their sweethearts across the grass?
—Deborah Levy, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for courting
Noun
-
Preliminary dating of the rock formations revealed that the Ediacara Fauna was living more than 500 million years ago in a shallow sea.—
David Bressan,
Forbes.com,
30 Aug. 2025
-
Study authors argue that the actual dating of most archaeological sites in Australia would fall between 43,000 and 54,000 years.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Of course, the woman-wooing MI6 agent is a role some believe should not exclude female actresses, too.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Aug. 2025
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Gwyneth Paltrow co-stars as an actress Marty sets his sights on wooing, while Odessa A’Zion plays his other love interest.—
Brittany Spanos,
Rolling Stone,
13 Aug. 2025
Noun
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In a five-photo joint post on Instagram on Tuesday, Kelce and Swift revealed their engagement after a courtship that lasted for about two years.—
Dave Skretta,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Aug. 2025
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Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's two-year courtship is sparking a social media debate about engagement timing.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
28 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Courting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/courting. Accessed 7 Sep. 2025.
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