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.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of courting
John Ortved, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2025
By 1995, the BFC had streamlined the machinery of London Fashion Week and secured government funding for exhibitions, support for young designers, and the courting of overseas buyers.
—Time, 16 Oct. 2025
Instead, through the course of this play, the artificiality of 19th-century marital courting and the exaggerated heroism of war are gradually stripped away, allowing the characters’ true voices, true callings and true partners to eventually emerge.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Oct. 2025
Of course, the only reason Oracle is in this position is down to Ellison’s courting of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, which has allowed his company, previously a distinct back-of-the-pack cloud company, to secure a massive stockpile of top-of-the-line Nvidia GPUs.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 11 Sep. 2025
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
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
Max Goldbart, Deadline, 8 Nov. 2025
Meanwhile, GammaTime and Holywater are planning to bring more of a traditional Hollywood approach by courting film and TV regulars for their products, a move that’s bound to increase the bottom line.
—Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 5 Nov. 2025
Chanel is said to be a key tenant that Swire is courting for the new location.
—Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 3 Nov. 2025
Kim Kardashian is courting chaos amongst her All’s Fair castmates.
—Brianne Tracy, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
London’s institutions are courting new crowds with silent discos, samurai suppers and lion-side glamping — all part of a creative reinvention.
—Sarah Hutter, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025
Mark, her husband, is a banker who cares more about courting his rich client Gerard (Tom Goodman-Hill) than listening to his partner.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 29 Oct. 2025
The couple aren't strangers to causing a frenzy — and courting controversy — on social media.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Oct. 2025
College sports has collectively agreed to define private equity by the narrowest of definitions, all while courting the very types of deals that are the hallmark of the industry.
—Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 22 Oct. 2025
Noun
As boundaries shrink and conventions blur, romantic rivalries continue to erupt—as do their possibilities onscreen, from the partner-sharing poignancy of Jules et Jim to the karmic relationships of Sex and the City to the competitive-courting of Challengers.
—John Ortved, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2025
By 1995, the BFC had streamlined the machinery of London Fashion Week and secured government funding for exhibitions, support for young designers, and the courting of overseas buyers.
—Time, 16 Oct. 2025
Instead, through the course of this play, the artificiality of 19th-century marital courting and the exaggerated heroism of war are gradually stripped away, allowing the characters’ true voices, true callings and true partners to eventually emerge.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Oct. 2025
Of course, the only reason Oracle is in this position is down to Ellison’s courting of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, which has allowed his company, previously a distinct back-of-the-pack cloud company, to secure a massive stockpile of top-of-the-line Nvidia GPUs.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 11 Sep. 2025
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
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
Famed for launching Downton Abbey, the network has been courting sale interest for well over a year, but for all the industry chatter and press speculation, ITV’s silence has been stony.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 8 Nov. 2025
Meanwhile, GammaTime and Holywater are planning to bring more of a traditional Hollywood approach by courting film and TV regulars for their products, a move that’s bound to increase the bottom line.
—Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 5 Nov. 2025
Chanel is said to be a key tenant that Swire is courting for the new location.
—Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 3 Nov. 2025
Kim Kardashian is courting chaos amongst her All’s Fair castmates.
—Brianne Tracy, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
London’s institutions are courting new crowds with silent discos, samurai suppers and lion-side glamping — all part of a creative reinvention.
—Sarah Hutter, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025
Mark, her husband, is a banker who cares more about courting his rich client Gerard (Tom Goodman-Hill) than listening to his partner.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 29 Oct. 2025
The couple aren't strangers to causing a frenzy — and courting controversy — on social media.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Oct. 2025
College sports has collectively agreed to define private equity by the narrowest of definitions, all while courting the very types of deals that are the hallmark of the industry.
—Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 22 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for courting
Noun
-
Archaeology News continued that the latest team consisted of experts in anthropology, archaeogenetics, radiocarbon dating, stable isotope analysis, dentistry, and historical study.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Nov. 2025
-
One example is a feature allowing Tinder users to pair up with friends to encourage double dating.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
This pho has gone viral online, rightfully wooing diners while honoring its Vietnamese roots.—
Bao Ong,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
23 Sep. 2025
-
While the likes of McDonald’s and Subway have hardly vanished from terminals, concessions companies are increasingly wooing popular local eateries and celebrity chefs to bring their signature menu items to the traveling public.—
Lori Weisberg,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Courting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/courting. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share