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  Court

  noun

  Margaret Smith, born 1942, Australian tennis player.

court

¹ American  

[kawrt] / kɔrt /

noun

• courts
  plural

1. Law.

   1. a place where justice is administered.

   2. a judicial tribunal duly constituted for the hearing and determination of cases.

   3. a session of a judicial assembly.

2. an area open to the sky and mostly or entirely surrounded by buildings, walls, etc.

3. a high interior usually having a glass roof and surrounded by several stories of galleries or the like.

4. Chiefly Irish. a stately dwelling.

5. a short street.

6. a smooth, level quadrangle on which to play tennis, basketball, etc.

7. one of the divisions of such an area.

8. the residence of a sovereign or other high dignitary; palace.

9. a sovereign's or dignitary's retinue.

10. a sovereign and councilors as the political rulers of a state.

11. a formal assembly held by a sovereign.

12. homage paid, as to a king.

13. special or devoted attention in order to win favor, affection, etc..

    to pay court to the king.

14. the body of qualified members of a corporation, council, board, etc.

15. a branch or lodge of a fraternal society.

16. Animal Behavior.

    1. an area where animals of a particular species gather to display.

    2. the group of insects, as honeybees, surrounding the queen; retinue.

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verb (used with object)

• courts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• courted,
  past participle,  past
• courting
  present participle

1. to try to win the favor, preference, or goodwill of.

   to court the rich.

2. to seek the affections of; woo.

3. (of animals) to attempt to attract (a mate) by engaging in certain species-specific behaviors.

4. to attempt to gain (applause, favor, a decision, etc.).

5. to hold out inducements to; invite.

6. to act in such a manner as to cause, lead to, or provoke.

   to court disaster by reckless driving.

verb (used without object)

• courts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• courted,
  past participle,  past
• courting
  present participle

1. to seek another's love; woo.

2. (of animals) to engage in certain species-specific behaviors in order to attract a mate.

idioms

1. hold court,

   1. to have a formal assembly of a judicial tribunal or one held by a sovereign.

   2. to be surrounded by one's disciples or admirers, giving advice, exchanging gossip, receiving compliments, etc.

2. out of court,

   1. without a legal hearing; privately.

      The case will be settled out of court.

   2. out of the question; undeserving of discussion.

      This wild scheme is entirely out of court.

Court ² American  

[kawrt, kohrt] / kɔrt, koʊrt /

noun

1. Margaret Smith, born 1942, Australian tennis player.

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court ¹ British  

/ kɔːt /

noun

1. an area of ground wholly or partly surrounded by walls or buildings

2. (capital when part of a name)

   1. a block of flats

      Selwyn Court

   2. a mansion or country house

   3. a short street, sometimes closed at one end

3. a space inside a building, sometimes surrounded with galleries

4. 1. the residence, retinues, or household of a sovereign or nobleman

   2. ( as modifier )

      a court ball

5. a sovereign or prince and his retinue, advisers, etc

6. any formal assembly, reception, etc, held by a sovereign or nobleman with his courtiers

7. homage, flattering attention, or amorous approaches (esp in the phrase pay court to someone )

8. law

   1. an authority having power to adjudicate in civil, criminal, military, or ecclesiastical matters

   2. the regular sitting of such a judicial authority

   3. the room or building in which such a tribunal sits

9. 1. a marked outdoor or enclosed area used for any of various ball games, such as tennis, squash, etc

   2. a marked section of such an area

      the service court

10. 1. the board of directors or council of a corporation, company, etc

    2. the supreme council of some universities

11. a branch of any of several friendly societies

12. to take legal action

13. to preside over admirers, attendants, etc

14. 1. without a trial or legal case

       the case was settled out of court

    2. too unimportant for consideration

    3. so as to ridicule completely (in the phrase laugh out of court )

15. you are obliged to make the next move

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verb

1. to attempt to gain the love of (someone); woo

2. (tr) to pay attention to (someone) in order to gain favour

3. (tr) to try to obtain (fame, honour, etc)

4. (tr) to invite, usually foolishly, as by taking risks

   to court disaster

5. old-fashioned to be conducting a serious emotional relationship usually leading to marriage

Court ² British  

/ kɔːt /

noun

1. Margaret (née Smith ). born 1942, Australian tennis player, winner of a record 24 Grand Slam singles titles: Australian Open champion 1960–66, 1969–71, and 1973; US Open champion 1962, 1965, 1969–70, and 1973; Wimbledon champion 1963, 1965, and 1970; French Open champion 1962, 1965, 1969–70, and 1973

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court More Idioms  

1. see ball's in your court; day in court; friend in court; hold court; kangaroo court; laugh out of court; pay court to.

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Usage

Where does court come from? Court of law. Tennis court. Courtship. Courtyard. Courtesy. Ever notice that all of these words and phrases—and many others—include court in some form? That’s no coincidence. The word court entered English around 1125–75. It comes from French, ultimately from the Latin cohors, variously meaning “farmyard, armed force, cohort, retinue.” More about that Latin noun cohors in the next section. Today, if someone says they went to court, they are referring to the place where lawyers argue cases, juries weigh evidence, and judges issue sentences. (We hope they weren’t in any trouble.) The legal senses of court are among the word’s oldest, found at least by the end of the 1200s in the sense of “assembly of judges.”Even older is the royal court. Think of those medieval princes and princesses doing their princely and princessly things in courts. Found in the mid- to late 1100s, that court originally referred to the place where a sovereign lived, as well as to an assembly that that ruler held. Whether used of royalty and law, these early senses of court—still in use today—suggest an underlying idea of an official group gathered together in an area set aside for special purposes. Speaking of physical spaces, many sports are played on courts, including basketball, volleyball, and tennis and other racquet sports. The original sports court, as far as the word is concerned, was for tennis. This draws on that basic sense of court as “an enclosed area.”Dig deeperHow are the words courtesy and courtship connected to court? Courtesy (“polite behavior”), along with the adjective courteous, comes from French words meaning “having manners fitting for the court of a prince.” Fun fact: curtsy,“a respectful bow made by women and girls, consisting of bending the knees and lowering the body,” is a variant of courtesy. Courtship stems from court in its verb sense of “to woo,” as in He courted his partner over romantic emails and text messages. Court, as a verb, can also mean “to win the favor (of another).” These senses are connected to the idea of paying court—homage, attention, and well, courtesy—to someone, as they historically would have at a court. Learn even more words about related to court at our entries for courtier and courtesan.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• outcourt
  verb (used with object)
• uncourted
  adjective
• well-courted
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• courts
  plural

Participles

• courting
  present
• courted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• court
  simple
• courts
  simple
• have courted
  perfect
• has courted
  perfect
• am courting
  progressive
• are courting
  progressive
• is courting
  progressive
• have been courting
  perfect progressive
• has been courting
  perfect progressive

Past

• courted
  simple
• had courted
  perfect
• was courting
  progressive
• were courting
  progressive
• had been courting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will court
  simple
• will have courted
  perfect
• will be courting
  progressive
• will have been courting
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of court

First recorded in 1125–75; Middle English co(u)rt, from Anglo-French, Old French, from Latin cohort- (stem of cohors ) “farmyard”; see cohort

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Explanation

A court is a room where justice is administered. Many popular television shows feature scenes in court, although it’s debatable whether these depictions are realistic. Court can refer not just to the courtroom but also to the judges who preside over it, as in the example of the U.S. Supreme Court. Court can also refer to monarchs and their attendants, as in the phrase "royal court." As a verb, court means “try to win the affections of someone,” as, historically, people sought to win the favor of royalty. (But if you try courting anyone in a modern courtroom, you'll probably be accused of bribery.)

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

court Court courts courted courting

If cases against elections officials do persist, Hasen said California officials won’t be “cowed,” will fight in court and will win.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026

He "has matured substantially in his thoughts and views" in jail, his lawyer told the court in September.

From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026

The court rejected a lawsuit by property owners who said the city caused mass confusion by publishing a list of 900,000 residential properties.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026

On Tuesday, the court heard oral argument in St. Mary Catholic Parish v.

From Slate ● Nov. 4, 2026

He’d read at the mall food court while the Finnegans spent hours and hours shopping for clothes and toys.

From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova

He appears to have energized Black voters furious over a Supreme Court decision that could let Republicans eliminate Mississippi’s only majority-Black congressional district while also winning over about a quarter of the white electorate.

From Slate ● Nov. 4, 2026

At Belfast Crown Court on Wednesday morning the prosecution opened its case against Rainey.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

EU Court of Justice Advocate General Maciej Szpunar said Tuesday that a publisher’s rights could be infringed when chatbots retrieve and reuse material from online publications to generate answers to user queries under certain circumstances.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026

In 2024, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, also based in The Hague, asked judges for an arrest warrant for Myanmar's junta chief Min Aung Hlaing over alleged crimes against humanity.

From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026

Supreme Court ruled unanimously that segregation of the nation’s public schools violated the constitutional rights of black students—a landmark decision that would affect race relations across America.

From "Because They Marched" by Russell Freedman

MI5 gave false evidence to three courts in a case concerning an abusive informant known as Agent X.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026

At some level, not yet precisely defined by courts, candidates for federal office are entitled to an election process that affords them fundamental fairness under the Constitution and statutory law.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026

The host of amenities is jaw-dropping and includes a professionally lit baseball field, indoor pickleball and basketball courts, and a guesthouse.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026

It also limits what courts may consider in California Environmental Quality Act lawsuits.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026

"Well, I'll see you to-morrow at the courts," I said.

From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway

In addition to Nee, many of the firm’s partners, including Matt Barr, the head of Weil’s prized restructuring practice, are being heavily courted by rivals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026

Paris department store BHV Marais, which courted controversy last year with a partnership with Asian fast-fashion giant Shein, said Tuesday it had sought bankruptcy protection to protect its operations and jobs.

From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026

He courted politicians using something he called “the method,” as ProPublica detailed in September.

From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026

Talarico, a former teacher and Presbyterian seminarian, has courted voters with a populist economic pitch blended with an overlay of Christian messaging to “love thy neighbor.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2026

According to Georgina, Rumsey courted one of the milk-house girls, but was so liberal with flattery that he was obviously a young man open to the sweet mysteries of fate.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead

They are expanding their ambition beyond what has already been proven — the mayor’s office, seats in Congress — and running difficult races in difficult states, courting voters and challenging the institutional status quo.

From Salon ● Oct. 21, 2026

An undeterred Hilton doubled down on courting Latinos after that faux pas, visiting East L.A. multiple times and even serving tacos after a lowrider cruise.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

But Prada is playing catch-up in courting top spenders, an area where competitors such as Louis Vuitton, Dior and Chanel have invested for years.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

Appreciate a music legend’s legacy: Dolly Parton got her start in Nashville as a country star, but she cemented her status as a global icon by courting pop fans.

From Slate ● Sep. 24, 2026

“Though I worry how much Perrington’s courting will interfere; but I do adore the man for inviting me to Rifthold. My mother must be writhing in her grave!”

From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas

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Related Words

• attract
• charm
• cultivate
• entice
• invite
• please
• praise
• propose
• pursue
• seek
• solicit
• sue
• woo

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