courtship

noun

court·​ship ˈkȯrt-ˌship 

: the act, process, or period of courting

Synonyms

• courting
• dating
• lovemaking
• suit

Examples of courtship in a Sentence

They had a two-year courtship before marrying.

The male of the species often displays aggression during courtship.

the President's courtship of middle-class voters

Recent Examples on the Web

Traditional societies structured courtship and pairing firmly, but in modernity many of us enjoy freedom and self-invention. —Jaron Lanier, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2025

Of their courtship, then on the scale of months, Patricia — in her late 20s at the time — recalled going on a three-day work trip and returning to an empty apartment. —Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 20 Mar. 2025

But after its last lightning courtship in 2019, America invested millions of dollars in Greenland’s economy and re-opened a consulate in the island nation for the first time since 1953, when America’s love affair with Greenland last started to cool. —Barry Scott Zellen, Hartford Courant, 18 Feb. 2025

Singh’s courtship began at a dive bar in New York City in the lead up to the Fourth of July. —Alexandra MacOn, Vogue, 7 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1596, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for courtship

• airship
• airstrip
• clerkship
• equip
• filmstrip
• flagship
• gunship
• headship
• heirship
• judgeship
• kinship
• lightship

Kids Definition

courtship

noun

court·​ship -ˌship 

: the act or process of courting