courting
Americannoun
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the act or process of trying to win the favor or attention of a person or group.
He seems to understand the importance of social issues for youth, judging by his recent courting of young people to bring them into Russian politics.
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the act of seeking or cultivating someone’s love or affection; wooing.
Soon after landing the job, he stepped up his courting of the beautiful Dorothy, who was also being pursued by someone else.
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(of animals) the act or process of attempting to attract a mate by engaging in certain species-specific behaviors.
The chilly air blowing through the cracks in the wall, and the audible courting of peeper frogs, made it hard to doze off.
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the act of behaving in such a manner as to cause or lead to a specified result.
In a particularly nerve-wracking courting of disaster, he climbed the mountain alone in winter using a completely untried route.
adjective
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seeking or cultivating the love or affection of another person or of each other.
Covered bridges were known as "kissing bridges," as courting couples were prone to stop and steal a kiss while hidden from view inside.
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(of animals) attempting to attract a mate.
Courting petrels make a henlike clucking and thrust their heads back as far as they can.
Other Word Forms
- uncourting adjective
Etymology
Origin of courting
First recorded in 1575–85; court ( def. ) + -ing 1 ( def. ) for the noun senses; court ( def. ) + -ing 2 ( def. ) for the adjective senses
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The combined firm put extra effort into courting wealthy individuals, a rarity at the time.
Neither company has shied away from courting disgraced Hollywood talent trying to revive their careers.
From Los Angeles Times
David Wagner, head of equity and portfolio manager at Aptus Capital Advisors, says he prefers Lowe’s over Home Depot given the stock’s lower valuation and inroads in courting professional contractors.
From Barron's
Impelled by a sense of mission, he too toggled between Turkey and Syria, courting danger — and finding it.
From Los Angeles Times
The Journal this week explored the trade-offs involved in courting investment, examining the rise of a Chinese automotive glass plant in Ohio.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
