court
B1Formal, Legal, Sports, Historical
Definition
Meaning
A place where legal trials are held and judges administer justice.
An enclosed area for playing ball games (e.g., tennis, basketball); the residence and household of a sovereign; the act of seeking someone's favour or affection, especially romantically.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The word's meanings are connected by the idea of a defined space (literal or metaphorical) for formalized activity or social interaction. The legal and romantic/attraction senses are the most productive for metaphorical extension.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
In legal contexts, usage is identical. In sports, 'court' is standard for tennis, basketball, and squash in both, but UK also uses 'court' for badminton, whereas US often says 'badminton court' too. The verb 'to court' (romantic pursuit) is slightly more formal/literary in modern AmE.
Connotations
The 'royal court' sense carries stronger historical/monarchical connotations in the UK. In AmE, 'courthouse' is more common than 'court building'.
Frequency
The noun is high frequency in both. The verb 'to court' is mid-to-low frequency and slightly more formal.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
appear before/in courttake someone to courtsettle out of courtcourt disaster/dangercourt favour/approvalcourt controversythe case went to courtVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “laugh someone out of court”
- “the ball is in your court”
- “pay court to someone”
- “out of court”
- “hold court”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Refers to legal proceedings: 'The company is facing several court cases.'
Academic
Used in legal, historical, and political studies: 'The court of public opinion often differs from a legal court.'
Everyday
Most common in sports and news about law: 'Let's book a tennis court for Saturday.' / 'He had to go to court for speeding.'
Technical
Specific legal procedures and sports regulations: 'The court granted an injunction.' / 'The ball must land within the lines of the court.'
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- He was courting controversy with his outspoken remarks.
- The politician has been courting the favour of business leaders.
American English
- The company is courting disaster with its lax safety protocols.
- They courted for several years before marrying.
adverb
British English
- (No standard adverbial form. 'In court' is the adverbial phrase.)
American English
- (No standard adverbial form. 'In court' is the adverbial phrase.)
adjective
British English
- Court martial proceedings are complex.
- She wore traditional court dress.
American English
- The court reporter transcribed everything.
- He is a court-appointed attorney.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The children play basketball on the court near our house.
- The judge works in a court.
- They had to go to court because of their neighbour's complaint.
- We booked a badminton court for an hour.
- The high court will rule on the constitutional matter next week.
- His actions were clearly designed to court media attention.
- The artist's work deliberately courts ambiguity, resisting easy interpretation.
- The barrister's brilliant argument held the entire court spellbound.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a tennis COURT where players argue (like lawyers) over a line call, supervised by a judge (the umpire).
Conceptual Metaphor
JUSTICE IS A THEATRE/ARENA (courtroom drama); ROMANTIC PURSUIT IS A FORMAL PETITION (courting someone); LIFE IS A GAME (the ball is in your court).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Не переводите 'basketball court' как 'корт' (спортивный зал/площадка).
- 'Court' (legal) = 'суд', но 'courthouse' = 'здание суда'.
- 'To court' (verb) не значит 'ухаживать' в бытовом смысле, это более формальное/старомодное или переносное 'добиваться расположения'.
- 'Court' (royal) = 'королевский двор', а не 'двор' как хозяйственная постройка (yard).
Common Mistakes
- Using 'court' for any open area (use 'yard', 'field', 'square').
- Confusing 'court' (law) with 'court' (sports) in translation.
- Using the verb 'to court' in informal romantic contexts (sounds archaic).
- Misspelling as 'cort' or 'chourt'.
Practice
Quiz
In the idiom 'the ball is in your court', what does 'court' metaphorically refer to?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, for football (soccer), American football, and rugby, the term is 'pitch' (UK) or 'field' (US). 'Court' is for games like tennis, basketball, volleyball, badminton, and squash.
A 'courtroom' is the specific physical room where a trial happens. 'Court' is the broader institution or legal body (e.g., 'the Court of Appeal') and can also refer to the event ('appear in court').
Yes, but it's often formal or literary. It can mean to diligently try to obtain something desirable, e.g., 'courting success' or 'courting investment'. It often carries a slight risk of failure or need for effort.
Both derive from the same Latin root via Old French, meaning an enclosed yard. A royal courtyard was a place for formal ceremony and judgement (leading to the legal sense) and also for recreation like early tennis (leading to the sports sense).
Collections
Part of a collection
Crime and Justice
B1 · 46 words · Vocabulary for law, crime and the justice system.