courted

past tense of court
1
as in wooed
to act so as to make (something) more likely you're courting disaster if you keep playing with matches

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in dated
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 courted In addition to his other holdings, Kolomoisky owns media outlets in Ukraine that are influential and courted by Ukrainian politicians. Olena Loginova, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025 Lipovsky and Stein have yet to pick their next directorial outing but are being heavily courted by studios. Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 6 Nov. 2025 Following a similar plot line of a character opening a Coca Cola bottle to summon a line of Coca Cola trucks that light up a town, last year's ad courted criticism for lacking the warmth and creativity that comes from a human element. Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 5 Nov. 2025 Sherrill courted those voters who have traditionally favored Democrats, in part by speaking Spanish on the campaign trail and in TV ads. Kevin Breuninger,dan Mangan, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2025 News that Sheridan is closing a megabucks deal with NBCUniversal, as courted by entertainment chief Donna Langley, was first reported Sunday by Puck. William Earl, Variety, 27 Oct. 2025 Nicklaus was portrayed as being courted by Golf Saudi in the early 2020s for a leadership role in the creation of LIV Golf, the would-be rival to the PGA Tour. Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 23 Oct. 2025 Speakers invited to speak on campus are often courted by student groups or faculty, not administrators. Cate Charron, IndyStar, 21 Oct. 2025 Takaichi has also courted controversy with her disdain for immigrants and even tourists, a rapidly growing industry in Japan. NPR, 21 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for courted
Verb
  • Mamdani's relentless focus on affordability in the midst of a housing crisis wooed his risk-averse party into trying something new.
    Kyler Alvord, PEOPLE, 5 Nov. 2025
  • The annual spectacle, with thousands of media buyers and advertisers crisscrossing Manhattan to be wooed and pitched by TV networks, has already transformed into something more corporate.
    Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Director Antoine Fuqua‘s biopic is set to hit theaters and Imax on April 24, 2026, after its release was delayed several times, most recently having been dated for the fall of 2025.
    Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Tuner is also coming but isn’t dated.
    Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 6 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Jordan Binnington, Adin Hill and Sam Montembeault are the 4 Nations holdovers and were the only goalies invited to the orientation camp in August.
    Chris Johnston, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025
  • In 2017, he was also invited to join the Eagles on tour, and has since continued collaborating with them.
    Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 10 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Courted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/courted. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.

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