to court someone

Meanings

1. 1phrasefixed phraseold-fashioned

   to try to win someone's love, especially by paying them romantic attention over time.

   Grammar: Used with a person as the object: court someone, not 'court to someone'.

   Patterns

   • court someone
   • court a woman
   • court a man

   He spent the whole summer courting her with flowers and long letters.

   In those days a young man was expected to court a woman before proposing.

   The story is about a shy farmer who courts the schoolteacher for years.

2. 2phrasefixed phrasefigurative

   to try hard to get someone's support, business, or friendship.

   Grammar: Often used about companies, politicians, or teams trying to attract a group: court voters, court investors.

   Patterns

   • court voters
   • court investors
   • court a client

   The party is courting younger voters with promises about housing.

   Several banks are courting the company, hoping to handle its accounts.

   He has been courting that client for months without success.

3. 3phrasefixed phraseformal

   to behave in a way that is likely to cause something bad, such as trouble or danger.

   Grammar: The object is usually something unpleasant: court disaster, court danger, court trouble.

   Patterns

   • court disaster
   • court danger
   • court trouble

   By ignoring the warnings, they were courting disaster.

   Riding without a helmet is courting trouble.

   The coach warned that such careless play courts defeat.

Common combinations

court someone for years

He courted her for years before she finally agreed to marry him.

be courted by someone

The young actress was courted by several studios at once.

court voters

Both candidates are courting voters in the industrial north.

court disaster

Cutting safety checks to save money is courting disaster.

court publicity

The singer has always courted publicity rather than avoided it.

Synonyms and how they differ

woo

Very close in meaning and also a little literary, but 'woo' usually focuses on trying to win love or support, while 'court' can also mean risking something bad.

date

The everyday modern word for going out with someone romantically; it does not suggest the slow, formal effort that 'court' does.

pursue

Wider and more neutral: you can pursue a person, a career, or a goal, while 'court' is mostly used about people, support, or danger.

Opposites

Word family

courtship noun

the period when two people are courting, or the activity of trying to win someone.

courting noun

the act of trying to win someone's love; also used as an adjective before a noun, as in 'courting couple'.

courter noun

a person who courts someone; rare and mostly literary.

Commonly confused: to court someone or court? to court someone or quart?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “to court someone”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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