courtesy call

noun

: a visit made because it is the polite thing to do
They paid a courtesy call on the ambassador.

Examples of courtesy call in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
When Netanyahu was elected, Biden didn’t place a courtesy call for more than three weeks, which was its own minor scandal in Israel. Steve Hendrix, Washington Post, 19 Sep. 2023 Read full article That courtesy call, and the resulting photo of a smiling king appearing to celebrate his guest, prompted angry recrimination from critics, who said the government improperly recruited Charles to be an ally in one of the most divisive issues in British politics. Mark Landler, BostonGlobe.com, 28 Feb. 2023 That courtesy call, and the resulting photo of a smiling king appearing to celebrate his guest, prompted angry recrimination from critics, who said the government improperly recruited King Charles to be an ally in one of the most divisive issues in British politics. Mark Landler, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2023 But in the same way that Sweeney’s body language dissolves from loose to rigid to broken, slowly crumbling inside as the seriousness of their visit becomes clear, Hamilton and the other actors gradually drop all pretense of this being a courtesy call designed to gather information. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Feb. 2023

Dictionary Entries Near courtesy call

Cite this Entry

“Courtesy call.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/courtesy%20call. Accessed 7 Nov. 2024.

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