as in dating
the series of social engagements shared by a couple looking to get married
after two years of courting, they finally married
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in wooing
to act so as to make (something) more likely
you're courting disaster if you keep playing with matches
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in making love
to go on dates that may eventually lead to marriage
they courted for a year before getting married
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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show current usage.
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Recent Examples of courting
Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 10 Mar. 2026
During Netflix’s courting process, co-CEO Ted Sarandos said all the right things and won over many inside HBO with the idea that the brand would stay intact and operate as its own quality label, much like FX inside Hulu and Disney.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 2 Mar. 2026
The courting of crypto He has been courting crypto ever since.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 27 Feb. 2026
And his courting of white nationalists and antisemites changed the face of the party.
—S.e. Cupp, New York Daily News, 4 Feb. 2026
With the courting process complete, Harbaugh is now tasked with turning around the beleaguered franchise that has made just two playoff appearances over the past 12 years and not made it past the divisional round.
—Stephen Whyno, Twin Cities, 17 Jan. 2026
Truth is, romance isn’t solely about the grand gestures and lavish courting.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 10 Jan. 2026
In addition to Air, the 2023 film about Nike’s courting of a young Michael Jordan, Convery is set to write the screenplay for The Tiger Slam, about Tiger Woods’ run of winning four consecutive major golf tournaments in 2000 and 2001.
—Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 9 Dec. 2025
As the red bird had never been observed courting, it was assumed female.
—Mikelle Street, Them., 4 Dec. 2025
Bloomberg, Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2026
OpenAI is introducing an artificial intelligence model that’s intended to be better at completing work without much direction, part of a push to keep pace with rivals like Anthropic PBC in courting business customers.
—Rachel Metz, Bloomberg, 23 Apr. 2026
The music industry came calling, with every label courting him in 2023, although Rivera-Herrans rebuffed rich offers.
—Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 22 Apr. 2026
To be sure, Apple is likely to focus on courting less affluent consumers by releasing more economical iPhone and MacBook models priced at $599 each this year, according to Barclays.
—Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 22 Apr. 2026
Behind the scenes, Swalwell was courting attention.
—Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
And that’s a risk that The Audacity is courting in a premiere that doesn’t care yet about turning its satirical targets into antiheroes, which is what Glatzer was doing on Better Call Saul and Succession.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 12 Apr. 2026
Madrid has, however, gone further by moving to regularize nearly half a million undocumented migrants and by courting many more foreigners, a push that its socialist prime minister has argued is helping drive an economic boom.
—Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 6 Apr. 2026
Chavismo defined itself globally by broadcasting fiery anti-Americanism while courting allies in Havana, Moscow, and Tehran to champion a multipolar world.
—Boris Muñoz, Time, 3 Apr. 2026
Noun
It’s often said that age is just a number, and a new Netflix reality dating series will soon put the old adage to the test by taking age entirely out of the courting equation.
—Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 10 Mar. 2026
During Netflix’s courting process, co-CEO Ted Sarandos said all the right things and won over many inside HBO with the idea that the brand would stay intact and operate as its own quality label, much like FX inside Hulu and Disney.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 2 Mar. 2026
The courting of crypto He has been courting crypto ever since.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 27 Feb. 2026
And his courting of white nationalists and antisemites changed the face of the party.
—S.e. Cupp, New York Daily News, 4 Feb. 2026
With the courting process complete, Harbaugh is now tasked with turning around the beleaguered franchise that has made just two playoff appearances over the past 12 years and not made it past the divisional round.
—Stephen Whyno, Twin Cities, 17 Jan. 2026
Truth is, romance isn’t solely about the grand gestures and lavish courting.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 10 Jan. 2026
In addition to Air, the 2023 film about Nike’s courting of a young Michael Jordan, Convery is set to write the screenplay for The Tiger Slam, about Tiger Woods’ run of winning four consecutive major golf tournaments in 2000 and 2001.
—Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 9 Dec. 2025
As the red bird had never been observed courting, it was assumed female.
—Mikelle Street, Them., 4 Dec. 2025
Verb
By Rachel Metz, Bloomberg OpenAI is introducing an artificial intelligence model that’s intended to be better at completing work without much direction, part of a push to keep pace with rivals like Anthropic PBC in courting business customers.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2026
OpenAI is introducing an artificial intelligence model that’s intended to be better at completing work without much direction, part of a push to keep pace with rivals like Anthropic PBC in courting business customers.
—Rachel Metz, Bloomberg, 23 Apr. 2026
The music industry came calling, with every label courting him in 2023, although Rivera-Herrans rebuffed rich offers.
—Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 22 Apr. 2026
To be sure, Apple is likely to focus on courting less affluent consumers by releasing more economical iPhone and MacBook models priced at $599 each this year, according to Barclays.
—Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 22 Apr. 2026
Behind the scenes, Swalwell was courting attention.
—Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
And that’s a risk that The Audacity is courting in a premiere that doesn’t care yet about turning its satirical targets into antiheroes, which is what Glatzer was doing on Better Call Saul and Succession.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 12 Apr. 2026
Madrid has, however, gone further by moving to regularize nearly half a million undocumented migrants and by courting many more foreigners, a push that its socialist prime minister has argued is helping drive an economic boom.
—Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 6 Apr. 2026
Chavismo defined itself globally by broadcasting fiery anti-Americanism while courting allies in Havana, Moscow, and Tehran to champion a multipolar world.
—Boris Muñoz, Time, 3 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for courting
Noun
-
David Kuang, a 21-year-old Columbia University student, said the economics of dating can make every outing feel like a gamble.—
Charlotte Morabito,
CNBC,
25 Apr. 2026
-
However, the pair first sparked public dating rumors when they were reportedly spotted out together at a Halloween party later that month.—
Tabitha Parent,
PEOPLE,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Heath Ledger played Patrick Verona, a rebellious teen with a mysterious past who accepts the challenge of wooing Kat.—
Danny Horn,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Candidates fanned out across the state to hit traditional campaign stops in the final weekend before Tuesday’s primary, wooing local audiences in an election increasingly overcome by national events and out-of-state money.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Courting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/courting. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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