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
Relevance
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
His channel’s direction has courted controversy in recent years.
—
Katherine Laidlaw, HubSpot, 19 Sep. 2025
She was interviewed everywhere, courted everywhere.
—Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2025
Isak was courted by Chelsea and was then told by Mitchell that the club could not afford to grant him a new contract.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
Tesla, meanwhile, was being courted by the Indian government ever since Musk announced his plans to enter the electric car market.
—Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 11 Sep. 2025
The social media star and #MomTok co-founder courted controversy in 2022 amid a swinging scandal in her Mormon community.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2025
Other designers—Valentino, Versace, Oscar de la Renta, to name a few—also successfully courted celebrities, but few had as much success as Armani.
—Belinda Luscombe, Time, 5 Sep. 2025
Swift’s dismay about a powerful ex became a fable for any girl courted by an older guy.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2025
This is not the first time Carpenter has courted with controversy.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
Katherine Laidlaw, HubSpot, 19 Sep. 2025
She was interviewed everywhere, courted everywhere.
—Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2025
Isak was courted by Chelsea and was then told by Mitchell that the club could not afford to grant him a new contract.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
Tesla, meanwhile, was being courted by the Indian government ever since Musk announced his plans to enter the electric car market.
—Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 11 Sep. 2025
The social media star and #MomTok co-founder courted controversy in 2022 amid a swinging scandal in her Mormon community.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2025
Other designers—Valentino, Versace, Oscar de la Renta, to name a few—also successfully courted celebrities, but few had as much success as Armani.
—Belinda Luscombe, Time, 5 Sep. 2025
Swift’s dismay about a powerful ex became a fable for any girl courted by an older guy.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2025
This is not the first time Carpenter has courted with controversy.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for courted
Verb
-
Angela Bassett stars as Brenda Brown, a struggling single mother who, while dealing with some incredibly complicated business matters, is wooed by a basketball coach (Rick Fox) who sees potential in her son.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Kalluk had wooed Chinook over the years, but their match did not produce any cubs.—
Teri Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
In the aftermath, authorities retrieved thousands of chat logs linked to Gendron off of Discord, which were written in the form of an online diary and dated over a stretch of several months.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
18 Sep. 2025
-
The full-length launched in first place with 179,000 copies sold on the chart dated September 18, 2010.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
At the Reynolds Family Winery on September 27, 2025, guests are invited to an evening of exceptional wines, warm hospitality, and a few unforgettable harvest traditions.—
Michael Goldstein,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
-
While the couple hasn't confirmed the date of their wedding, the date is seemingly set, as Ed Sheeran and Paris Hilton have revealed that they've already been invited to the big day.—
Catherine Santino,
PEOPLE,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Courted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/courted. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share