Meaning & use
prom court
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountableAmerican
The group of students chosen by their classmates as candidates for honors, such as prom king and queen, at a high school dance.
Grammar: Treated as a group noun: the prom court was announced; members of the prom court.
Patterns
- on the prom court
- elected to the prom court
Maya was thrilled when her name appeared on the prom court list.
The prom court walked onto the stage while the crowd cheered.
Seniors voted for the prom court during lunch on Friday.
Word forms
| plural | prom courts |
|---|
Common combinations
- elected to the prom court
- He was elected to the prom court by his classmates.
- prom court nominees
- The prom court nominees will be announced in assembly.
- vote for prom court
- Students may vote for prom court online.
- member of the prom court
- As a member of the prom court, she had to walk the red carpet.
- prom court announcement
- The prom court announcement made the school newsletter.
Synonyms and how they differ
- homecoming court
- It is the matching group for the homecoming game and dance rather than the prom.
- royal court
- It is a more playful phrase borrowed from monarchy and used for any elected group of honorees.
Word family
- prom noun
- a formal high-school dance
- prom king noun
- the male student crowned at prom
- prom queen noun
- the female student crowned at prom
- promenade noun
- the older word from which prom comes
Commonly confused: prom court or promenade?
prom court vs promenade
Promenade means a walkway or leisurely walk, though prom was shortened from it; a prom court is nothing to do with walking.
Practice
Each spring the seniors vote, and the top candidates form the ___ that appears on stage at the dance.
Choose one answer.
The candidates for prom king and queen make up the prom court. The honor roll lists good grades and is not tied to the dance.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “prom court”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.