courted

Definition of courtednext
past tense of court
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 Trump has courted foreign investment from a number of countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Garrett Downs, CNBC, 15 May 2026 While Amazon has successfully courted high fashion brands over the years like Coach, there were a few bumps on the road. Roy Stephen Canivel, Footwear News, 11 May 2026 Ted Turner, the media mogul and philanthropist behind the cable channels CNN, TBS, TNT, Turner Classic Movies, and the WCW who also courted controversy, died at his home near Tallahassee, Florida on Wednesday, according to The New York Times. Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 6 May 2026 Skoric was courted by Kansas, Pitt and West Virginia last year but opted to stay in Europe. Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 May 2026 Novo and Lilly have courted consumers without insurance coverage by selling the medications directly through their respective pharmacies or through telehealth providers. Ken Alltucker, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026 Baselitz courted controversy of a different sort shortly after, during the Covid-19 pandemic. Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 30 Apr. 2026 Dangote’s plant, which has shown how local processing can reduce the impact of such global shocks, has led to him being courted by East Africa to build a similar plant in Tanzania. Alexis Akwagyiram, semafor.com, 27 Apr. 2026 According to Syth, the reorganization plan was too optimistic from the start, and would have courted danger even if the war never happened. Shawn Tully, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for courted
Verb
  • Carl is wooed back into the house by Lindsay, of all people.
    Brian Moylan, Vulture, 13 May 2026
  • Acquiring sports teams and land For much of his life a partying roustabout who wooed beautiful women, the lean, mustachioed sportsman married three times.
    David Bauder, Fortune, 6 May 2026
Verb
  • Mail-in ballot voters who don’t take the time to ensure their ballots are dated correctly will find their votes tossed in November because of a relatively new state law, Lake County’s Election Board Director is warning.
    Michelle L. Quinn, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2026
  • The latest citation for the center, dated on March 11, notes that a caregiver used corporal punishment against a child.
    Lina Ruiz May 14, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 May 2026
Verb
  • They also were invited into the clubhouse and Marmol’s office after the game.
    Warren Mayes, Chicago Tribune, 17 May 2026
  • And to me, getting that invitation has got to be the equivalent of a PGA tour player getting invited to the Masters.
    Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 16 May 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Courted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/courted. Accessed 20 May. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on courted

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster