courting 1 of 2

as in dating
the series of social engagements shared by a couple looking to get married after two years of courting, they finally married

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courting

2 of 2

verb

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

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2
as in making love
to go on dates that may eventually lead to marriage they courted for a year before getting married

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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
Noun
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
Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg is aggressively courting AI talent. Jim Cramer, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2025 Vegas wasted no time in courting Hart. Greg Liodice, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025 Whiskey Sisters Supply has weathered the same COVID-boom and post-pandemic bust cycles as the spirits industry on the whole and began courting new sources of revenue to sustain its operations. Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 14 Oct. 2025 Conscious of this, Mamdani spent many Sundays this summer in church, courting Black congregations around the city. Eric Lach, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2025 The acclaimed drama, based on Edith Wharton’s unfinished final novel of the same name, follows a group of young American girls who shake up the courting scene in 1870s London. Ellise Shafer, Variety, 8 Oct. 2025 Even Indian space startups were courting Taiwan’s growing demand for dual-use satellite and AI data. Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2025 While California’s deep-blue electorate is probably more receptive to AOC than most other states, Newsom’s strategy of courting the far-left carries significant risks, both for this vote and for his longer term viability in a presidential general election. Douglas Schoen, Oc Register, 26 Sep. 2025 Squeri’s been a first mover in courting. Shawn Tully, Fortune, 18 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for courting
Noun
  • Ironically enough, this over 165-year-old matchmaking festival offers something refreshingly new to people increasingly burnt out by modern, high-tech dating.
    Bernadette Keith, Travel + Leisure, 19 Oct. 2025
  • The feeling of dating is refreshing for the politician.
    Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 13 Oct. 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
Noun
  • The couple married three years ago after a whirlwind four-month courtship.
    Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Oct. 2025
  • As Bella and Edward become closer, our young heroine not only romanticizes the vampire's ethereal good looks, but also the dominance and constant surveillance of his courtship.
    USA Today, USA Today, 10 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Courting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/courting. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.

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