cour·te·sy
ˈkər-tə-sē 
British also ˈkȯ-
plural courtesies
: granted, provided, or performed as a courtesy or by way of courtesy (see courtesy entry 1)
made a courtesy call on the ambassador
Examples of courtesy in a Sentence
Noun
Civilized life cannot be sustained without hypocrisy. A certain moral code, a degree of courtesy and decorum, are necessary to keep our instincts under a modicum of control.
—
Ian Buruma, New York Review of Books, 2 Nov. 2006
Cara, who, courtesy of the cat, had a run in her leggings, picked up the phone in a panic …
—Helen Schulman, Wigwag, November 1990
"Coffee, sir?" asked a sailor. I nodded, still chilled. The courtesy, the ordinariness of these men was in the context somehow curious.
—Fred Reed, Harper's, September 1988
I tried to persuade him that all that Hamish Hamilton had attempted to do was to extend the kind of courtesies which cultural institutions thought to be his due.
—Isaiah Berlin, New York Times Book Review, 12 Apr. 1987
They treated us with courtesy and kindness.
She did it as a courtesy, not because she had to.
Everyone knows each other here, so we won't bother with the usual courtesies.
They shook hands and exchanged courtesies before beginning their discussion.
Adjective
As the heir to an earldom, Stephen was obliged to pay a courtesy call on the British ambassador …
—Ken Follett, The Man from St. Petersburg, 1982
Important visitors to the conference were provided with courtesy cars.
Ian Buruma, New York Review of Books, 2 Nov. 2006
Cara, who, courtesy of the cat, had a run in her leggings, picked up the phone in a panic …
—Helen Schulman, Wigwag, November 1990
"Coffee, sir?" asked a sailor. I nodded, still chilled. The courtesy, the ordinariness of these men was in the context somehow curious.
—Fred Reed, Harper's, September 1988
I tried to persuade him that all that Hamish Hamilton had attempted to do was to extend the kind of courtesies which cultural institutions thought to be his due.
—Isaiah Berlin, New York Times Book Review, 12 Apr. 1987
They treated us with courtesy and kindness.
She did it as a courtesy, not because she had to.
Everyone knows each other here, so we won't bother with the usual courtesies.
They shook hands and exchanged courtesies before beginning their discussion.
Adjective
As the heir to an earldom, Stephen was obliged to pay a courtesy call on the British ambassador …
—Ken Follett, The Man from St. Petersburg, 1982
Important visitors to the conference were provided with courtesy cars.
Recent Examples on the Web
Sharon Brandwein, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2026
Tune into yourself while tuning out the outside world courtesy of an E-bike ride under the Tuscan sun, a stroll through the olive groves, a dip in the infinity pool, a meditative massage, or a private cooking class using ingredients sourced from the property.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Apr. 2026
Kaitlin Menza, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Apr. 2026
All statistics are courtesy of TruMedia and apply to the 2025 regular season unless otherwise noted.
—Daniel Popper, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for courtesy
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.
Noun
Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe Cooling The Aurora Luxe Cooling mattress from Brooklyn Bedding excels at temperature regulation courtesy of its advanced cooling technologies and breathable hybrid construction.
—Sharon Brandwein, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2026
Tune into yourself while tuning out the outside world courtesy of an E-bike ride under the Tuscan sun, a stroll through the olive groves, a dip in the infinity pool, a meditative massage, or a private cooking class using ingredients sourced from the property.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
Light bites came courtesy of charcuterie stations and passed hors d'oeuvres like sips of tomato gazpacho.
—Kaitlin Menza, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Apr. 2026
All statistics are courtesy of TruMedia and apply to the 2025 regular season unless otherwise noted.
—Daniel Popper, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for courtesy
Cite this Entry
“Courtesy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/courtesy. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
