Meaning & use
being courted
Last updated
Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
Receiving romantic attention from someone who is trying to win your affection.
Grammar: Used after verbs like enjoy, hate, or remember, or after a preposition: She enjoys being courted.
Patterns
- being courted by someone
- enjoy being courted
- the experience of being courted
After months of being courted by a charming stranger, she finally agreed to dinner.
He wasn't used to being courted so openly and felt a little embarrassed.
In the novel, the heroine spends the whole summer being courted by two very different men.
phrasefixed phrasebusiness
Being actively persuaded or sought after by a company, political party, or organization that wants your support or business.
Grammar: Often used in business or political contexts: The senator is being courted by several parties.
Patterns
- being courted by a company
- being courted for a position
- being courted as a candidate
The young engineer is being courted by three tech companies at once.
Local businesses are being courted with tax breaks to move into the area.
After the election, the small party found itself being courted by both major parties.
Common combinations
- being courted by someone
- She is being courted by a famous director.
- enjoy being courted
- He secretly enjoys being courted by his rivals.
- being courted for something
- The athlete is being courted for a major sponsorship deal.
- actively being courted
- The startup is actively being courted by investors.
Synonyms and how they differ
- wooed
- Wooed is more literary and often suggests a more old-fashioned or romantic effort; being courted is more neutral and can also be used in business.
- pursued
- Pursued is broader and can mean chased in any sense; being courted specifically means being romantically or professionally sought after with attention.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: being courted or courted?
being courted vs courted
Courted is the past tense or past participle; being courted is the passive -ing form and needs a helping verb or a preposition before it.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
The passive -ing form is 'being' + past participle 'courted'. Option 1 uses the correct form and preposition 'by'. Option 2 uses the base form 'court' instead of the past participle. Option 3 uses 'courts', which is the third-person singular. Option 4 uses 'from', which is not the correct preposition for the agent in a passive sentence.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “being courted”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.