COURT

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does Court mean? 

• COURT (noun)
  The noun COURT has 11 senses:

1. an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business

2. a room in which a lawcourt sits

3. the sovereign and his advisers who are the governing power of a state

4. a specially marked horizontal area within which a game is played

5. Australian woman tennis player who won many major championships (born in 1947)

6. the family and retinue of a sovereign or prince

7. a hotel for motorists; provides direct access from rooms to parking area

8. a tribunal that is presided over by a magistrate or by one or more judges who administer justice according to the laws

9. the residence of a sovereign or nobleman

10. an area wholly or partly surrounded by walls or buildings

11. respectful deference

  Familiarity information: COURT used as a noun is familiar.

• COURT (verb)
  The verb COURT has 3 senses:

1. make amorous advances towards

2. seek someone's favor

3. engage in social activities leading to marriage

  Familiarity information: COURT used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• COURT (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Synonyms:

court; judicature; tribunal

Hypernyms ("court" is a kind of...):

assembly (a group of persons who are gathered together for a common purpose)

Meronyms (parts of "court"):

Bench (the magistrate or judge or judges sitting in court in judicial capacity to compose the court collectively)

Meronyms (members of "court"):

jury (a body of citizens sworn to give a true verdict according to the evidence presented in a court of law)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "court"):

trial court (the first court before which the facts of a case are decided)

traffic court (a court that has power to prosecute for traffic offenses)

high court; state supreme court; supreme court (the highest court in most states of the United States)

superior court (any court that has jurisdiction above an inferior court)

Star Chamber (a former English court that became notorious for its arbitrary methods and severe punishments)

consistory (a church tribunal or governing body)

Rota ((Roman Catholic Church) the supreme ecclesiastical tribunal for cases appealed to the Holy See from diocesan courts)

quarter sessions (a local court with criminal jurisdiction and sometimes administrative functions)

probate court (a court having jurisdiction over the probate of wills and the administration of estates)

police court (a court that has power to prosecute for minor offenses and to bind over for trial in a superior court anyone accused of serious offenses)

moot court (a mock court where law students argue hypothetical cases)

military court (a judicial court of commissioned officers for the discipline and punishment of military personnel)

kangaroo court (an irregular unauthorized court)

juvenile court (a court having jurisdiction over dependent and delinquent children)

Inquisition (a former tribunal of the Roman Catholic Church (1232-1820) created to discover and suppress heresy)

inferior court; lower court (any court whose decisions can be appealed to a higher court)

F.I.S.C.; Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (a secret federal court created in 1978 by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act; responsible for authorizing wiretaps and other forms of electronic surveillance and for authorizing searches of suspected spies and terrorists by the Department of Justice or United States intelligence agencies)

federal court (a court establish by the authority of a federal government)

court of domestic relations; domestic relations court; family court (a court in some states in the United States that has jurisdiction over family disputes (especially those involving children))

divorce court (a court having jurisdiction over the termination of marriage contracts)

criminal court (a court having jurisdiction over criminal cases)

chancery; court of chancery (a court with jurisdiction in equity)

assizes; court of assize; court of assize and nisi prius (the county courts of England (replaced in 1971 by Crown courts))

appeals court; appellate court; court of appeals (a court whose jurisdiction is to review decisions of lower courts or agencies)

International Court of Justice; World Court (a court established to settle disputes between members of the United Nations)

court; court of justice; court of law; law court; lawcourt (a tribunal that is presided over by a magistrate or by one or more judges who administer justice according to the laws)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A room in which a lawcourt sits

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

court; courtroom

Context example:

television cameras were admitted in the courtroom

Hypernyms ("court" is a kind of...):

room (an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling)

Meronyms (parts of "court"):

bar ((law) a railing that encloses the part of the courtroom where the judges and lawyers sit and the case is tried)

witness box; witness stand (a box enclosure for a witness when testifying)

jury box (an enclosure within a courtroom for the jury)

bench ((law) the seat for judges in a courtroom)

Domain category:

jurisprudence; law (the collection of rules imposed by authority)

Holonyms ("court" is a part of...):

courthouse (a building that houses judicial courts)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The sovereign and his advisers who are the governing power of a state

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Synonyms:

court; royal court

Hypernyms ("court" is a kind of...):

authorities; government; regime (the organization that is the governing authority of a political unit)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "court"):

Court of Saint James's (the British royal court)

Porte; Sublime Porte (the Ottoman court in Constantinople)

Derivation:

courtly (refined or imposing in manner or appearance; befitting a royal court)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A specially marked horizontal area within which a game is played

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Context example:

players had to reserve a court in advance

Hypernyms ("court" is a kind of...):

athletic field; field; playing area; playing field (a piece of land prepared for playing a game)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "court"):

badminton court (the court on which badminton is played)

basketball court (the court on which basketball is played)

handball court (the court on which handball is played)

piste (a flat rectangular area for fencing bouts)

squash court (the indoor court in which squash is played)

tennis court (the court on which tennis is played)

volleyball court (the court on which volleyball is played)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Australian woman tennis player who won many major championships (born in 1947)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

Court; Margaret Court

Instance hypernyms:

tennis player (an athlete who plays tennis)

Sense 6

Meaning:

The family and retinue of a sovereign or prince

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Synonyms:

court; royal court

Hypernyms ("court" is a kind of...):

cortege; entourage; retinue; suite (the group following and attending to some important person)

Derivation:

courtly (refined or imposing in manner or appearance; befitting a royal court)

Sense 7

Meaning:

A hotel for motorists; provides direct access from rooms to parking area

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

court; motor hotel; motor inn; motor lodge; tourist court

Hypernyms ("court" is a kind of...):

hotel (a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "court"):

motel (a motor hotel)

Sense 8

Meaning:

A tribunal that is presided over by a magistrate or by one or more judges who administer justice according to the laws

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

court; court of justice; court of law; law court; lawcourt

Hypernyms ("court" is a kind of...):

court; judicature; tribunal (an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business)

Sense 9

Meaning:

The residence of a sovereign or nobleman

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Context example:

the king will visit the duke's court

Hypernyms ("court" is a kind of...):

residence (the official house or establishment of an important person (as a sovereign or president))

Derivation:

courtly (refined or imposing in manner or appearance; befitting a royal court)

Sense 10

Meaning:

An area wholly or partly surrounded by walls or buildings

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

court; courtyard

Context example:

the house was built around an inner court

Hypernyms ("court" is a kind of...):

area (a part of a structure having some specific characteristic or function)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "court"):

bailey (the outer courtyard of a castle)

cloister (a courtyard with covered walks (as in religious institutions))

food court (an area (as in a shopping mall) where fast food is sold (usually around a common eating area))

forecourt (the outer or front court of a building or of a group of buildings)

parvis (a courtyard or portico in front of a building (especially a cathedral))

atrium (the central area in a building; open to the sky)

Holonyms ("court" is a part of...):

building; edifice (a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place)

Sense 11

Meaning:

Respectful deference

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

court; homage

Context example:

pay court to the emperor

Hypernyms ("court" is a kind of...):

deference; respect (a courteous expression (by word or deed) of esteem or regard)

Derivation:

court (seek someone's favor)

• COURT (verb)

Conjugation:

Sense 1

Meaning:

Make amorous advances towards

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

court; romance; solicit; woo

Context example:

John is courting Mary

Hypernyms (to "court" is one way to...):

act; move (perform an action, or work out or perform (an action))

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "court"):

chase; chase after (pursue someone sexually or romantically)

display (attract attention by displaying some body part or posing; of animals)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

courting (a man's courting of a woman; seeking the affections of a woman (usually with the hope of marriage))

Sense 2

Meaning:

Seek someone's favor

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

court; woo

Context example:

China is wooing Russia

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Derivation:

court (respectful deference)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Engage in social activities leading to marriage

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Context example:

We were courting for over ten years

Hypernyms (to "court" is one way to...):

act; move (perform an action, or work out or perform (an action))

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s somebody

Sentence examples:

Sam and Sue court
Sam cannot court Sue

Derivation:

courting (a man's courting of a woman; seeking the affections of a woman (usually with the hope of marriage))

 Context examples 

But one thing I'll say, and no more; if you spare me, bygones are bygones, and when you fellows are in court for piracy, I'll save you all I can.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

Horner, who had shown signs of intense emotion during the proceedings, fainted away at the conclusion and was carried out of court.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Then he touched the door with the flower, and it sprang open; so that he went in through the court, and listened when he heard so many birds singing.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

Felix had accidentally been present at the trial; his horror and indignation were uncontrollable when he heard the decision of the court.

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)

Whatever else you have to say, you must say in court.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

There are three windows looking on the court on the first floor; none below; the windows are always shut but they’re clean.

(The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

“Beautiful morning, sir,” said I. “Could I say a word to you before you go into Court?”

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

I saw something like them in Hampton Court, but there they were worn and frayed and moth-eaten.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

And this was the first time I began to conceive some imperfect idea of courts and ministers.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

I do not remember her name among the ladies at court.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)