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| court [ kawrt ] (past and past participle court·ed, present participle court·ing, 3rd person present singular courts) |
verb |
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| Definition: |
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1. transitive verb be attentive to somebody: to try to win influence with somebody or to win somebody's approval or favor through flattery or attentiveness
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2. transitive verb try to gain something: to try to gain something such as somebody's attention or admiration by behaving in ways that are intended to attract or encourage it
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3. transitive verb risk experiencing something bad: to behave in a way that increases the likelihood of failure, injury, or other misfortune
 courted disaster
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4. transitive verb woo somebody: to try to win somebody's love
(
dated
)
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5. intransitive verb be sweethearts: to spend time together in a romantic relationship as a prelude to getting married
(
dated
)
 We used to come here when we were courting.
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6. transitive verb zoology try to attract mate: to engage in behavior that is designed to attract another animal or bird as a mate
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| [Early 16th century. < Old Italian corteare< Latin cohort- "enclosed space"] |