Meaning & use
court ball
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
a formal dance or social gathering held at the court of a king or queen
Grammar: Countable; you can say 'a court ball' or 'court balls'.
Patterns
- attend a court ball
- hold a court ball
- at a court ball
The princess wore a magnificent gown to the court ball.
Court balls were important occasions for nobles to meet and make alliances.
He was invited to a court ball at the palace, which was a great honor.
Word forms
| plural | court balls |
|---|
Common combinations
- attend a court ball
- Only the most important nobles were allowed to attend a court ball.
- hold a court ball
- The king decided to hold a court ball to celebrate his birthday.
- at a court ball
- She met her future husband at a court ball in Vienna.
Synonyms and how they differ
- royal ball
- Similar meaning, but 'royal ball' can also refer to any ball held by a royal family, not necessarily at a court.
- masquerade
- A masquerade is a ball where people wear masks; a court ball may or may not involve masks.
Commonly confused: court ball or courtball?
court ball vs courtball
This is not a standard English word. The correct term is 'court ball' (two words).
Practice
In the 18th century, a ______ was a formal dance held at a royal palace.
Choose one answer.
A 'court ball' is the correct term for a formal dance at a royal court. 'Ball court' is a place where ball games are played, 'courtball' is not a word, and 'ballroom' is the room where dances are held, not the event itself.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “court ball”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.