court 1 of 2

noun

ˈkȯrt How to pronounce court (audio)
Definition of courtnext
1
as in palace
the residence of a ruler Hampton Court was the imposing residence of King Henry VIII

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in courtyard
an open space wholly or partly enclosed (as by buildings or walls) the art museum boasts a glass-sided court that is filled with an array of greenery and sculpture

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in tribunal
an assembly of persons for the administration of justice this court is now called to order

Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in judge
a public official having authority to decide questions of law if it please the court, I'd like to approach the bench

Synonyms & Similar Words

court

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to woo
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 to date
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. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of court
Noun
In the final minute of the second quarter, Flagg made a great defensive play to intercept a pass and broke down the court for what was looking like a very easy layup for the second-year pro out of Duke. — Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026 Her work at both ends of the court — including dropping a shocking 30 points in Game 2 against the league’s best defense — has led the Dream to a dominant start in the series. — Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
Verb
In South Texas, Republicans and Democrats alike are trying to court voters on a more personal level. — Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026 By all accounts, Lin did exactly what Netflix courted him for, and his mind for austerity was aligned with the company’s larger goals. — Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge, 23 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for court
Recent Examples of Synonyms for court
  1. palace
  2. courtyard
  3. tribunal
  4. judge
  5. woo
  6. date
  7. enclosure
  8. magistrate
Noun
  • The palace was rebuilt, and the Codex Gigas was moved to the new library there in 1768.
    — Laura Payne, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026
  • My royal sources have given me no indication that the palace was informed.
    — Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of palace
Noun
  • About 120 of its 348 rooms are ready to rent, starting at roughly $200 a night; the hotel also has a restaurant, lounge and courtyard pool.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The house wraps around a central courtyard and swimming pool, with French doors opening onto the gardens.
    — Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of courtyard
Noun
  • The pro-European government of Donald Tusk accuses Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki, who is aligned with PiS, of blocking judges elected by the parliamentary majority from taking up their posts at the tribunal.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Parliament has continued appointing judges under Poland's constitution, but several of those appointments have been blocked from taking office amid a years-long standoff between the government, the presidency and the tribunal itself.
    — Tyler Speicher, FOXNews.com, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of tribunal
Noun
  • On Monday, as Palacios wrapped up his second-day of testimony under cross-examination by Sanon’s defense lawyer Humberto Dominguez, Désir made his initial appearance before a federal magistrate judge in Miami across the street.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 3 Nov. 2026
  • That same day, another federal district judge in a separate case in California barred DOJ from threatening election workers with criminal prosecution for refusing to stop processing ballots or resisting other demands.
    — Dan Mangan,Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of judge
Verb
  • Many of the industry’s biggest players, including hyperscalers, AI labs, and data-center developers, are advertising six-figure roles for policy wonks able to woo local communities where data centers are planned, a Semafor analysis found.
    — J.D. Capelouto, semafor.com, 30 Oct. 2026
  • With only five days remaining before the November election, top candidates on the Republican ticket rallied Thursday night in Hialeah for a final push to woo Cuban-American voters.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of woo
Verb
  • Tre White scored 22 points while and Tyran Stokes and Leroy Blyden added 15 points apiece for the Jayhawks, who won on opening night for the sixth straight season and stretched their streak of home-opening victories to 54 games (dating to 1973-74).
    — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Container of shredded beef dated 10/5 present in walk-in cooler.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of date
Noun
  • Astra designed the enclosure, circuit board, interface, and software.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2026
  • The celebrity barn owls’ saga follows in the footsteps of Flaco, the Eurasian eagle-owl, who captivated the city for a year after escaping from the Central Park Zoo after someone cut a hole through the mesh of his enclosure.
    — Lincoln Anderson, New York Daily News, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of enclosure
Noun
  • On Monday, as Palacios wrapped up his second-day of testimony under cross-examination by Sanon’s defense lawyer Humberto Dominguez, Désir made his initial appearance before a federal magistrate judge in Miami across the street.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 3 Nov. 2026
  • The Justice Department charged the two former officials by complaint instead of a grand jury indictment — a move the magistrate judge overseeing the case described as unusual.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of magistrate

Phrases Containing court

Browse Nearby Words

coursing
court
courted
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Court.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/court. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on court

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about court

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of quondam

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

The Words of the Week - Nov. 6

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
woman sitting on floor holding book in front of her face on pink background
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz Needless to say, spoiler alert.
See All