From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcourtcourt1 /kɔːt $ kɔːrt/ ●●● S1 W1 noun 1 for deciding about a legal case [countable, uncountable] the place where a trial is held, or the people there, especially the judge and the jury who examine the evidence and decide whether someone is guilty or not guilty It could not be proved in a court of law. The court case lasted six weeks. Four people will appear in court today, charged with fraud. The court ruled that no compensation was due. She threatened to take the magazine to court (=take legal action against them) if they didn’t publish an immediate apology.2 for playing a sport [countable]DS an area made for playing games such as tennis → field, pitchsquash/tennis/basketball etc court Can you book a squash court for tomorrow?on court The players are due on court in an hour.3 king/queen a) PGOTBB[countable] the place where a king or queen lives and works the royal courts of Europe b) PGO the court the king, queen, their family, and their friends, advisers etc Several members of the court were under suspicion. There was a taste in court circles for romantic verse. Court officials denied the rumours.4 → hold court5 → pay court to somebody6 area next to a building [countable] a courtyard → the ball is in somebody’s court at ball1(7), → be laughed out of court at laugh1(6), → food courtCOLLOCATIONSphrasesa court of lawYou may be asked to give evidence before a court of law.court + NOUNa court case (=a problem or crime that is dealt with in a court of law)a recent court case involving the death of a babya court order (=an instruction that someone must do something)A court order specified that the money must be paid back over six months.a court ruling (=an official decision)The company appealed against the court ruling.court action (=a court case)He was threatened with court action.court proceedings (=the processes that are part of a court case)The court proceedings were over in a day.verbsgo to court (=take legal action)The costs of going to court are very high.take somebody to court (=take legal action against someone)She took the company to court for sex discrimination.bring somebody/something to court (also bring somebody/something before a court)Three teenage girls were brought before the court for robbing an elderly woman.appear in courtA man has appeared in court charged with cruelty to animals.a case comes to court/comes before the courtThe case came to court 21 months later.a court hears a caseThe county court will hear the case next month.settle something out of court (=reach an agreement without using a court)The matter was finally settled out of court.a court rules/orders/holds somethingThe court ruled that the penalty was not excessive.a court clears/acquits somebody (=says that they are not guilty)A US court cleared him of bribery allegations.a court convicts somebody (=says that they are guilty)A New York court convicted her as a tax cheat.a court upholds something (=says that an earlier decision was right)It seems likely that the court will uphold his conviction.a court quashes/overturns something (=says that an earlier decision was wrong)A Brazilian court has quashed a 19-year jail sentence.a court adjourns a case/trial etc (=stops dealing with it for a period of time)The court adjourned the trial until June 21st.a court dismisses/throws out something (=refuses to allow or consider something)The court dismissed his appeal against conviction.ADJECTIVES/NOUN + courta criminal court (=for cases about crime)Two French magistrates ruled that he should stand trial in a criminal court.a civil court (=for cases about disagreements)Eviction proceedings take place in a civil court.a Crown Court (=a British court for cases about serious crimes)The defendant went to the Crown Court for sentencing.a High Court (=an important court, with more power than an ordinary court)Their convictions were upheld in the High Court.an appeals court/court of appeal (=dealing with cases in which people are not satisfied with a decision)The appeals court rejected the defence’s argument.the Supreme Court (=the most important court in some countries or US states)Thomas was the only African-American justice on the Supreme Court.a federal court (=a national court rather than a state court)a county court (=a local court)a magistrates’ court (=a court in each area in England and Wales that deals with less serious crimes)a kangaroo court (=an unofficial court that punishes people unfairly)The army reportedly held kangaroo courts and executed alleged rebels. THESAURUSIn a courtdefendant the person who is on trial for a crimethe defence British English, the defense American English the lawyers who are working for the defendantthe prosecution the lawyers who are trying to prove that the defendant is guiltyjudge the official in charge of a court who decides how criminals should be punishedjury a group of people, usually 12 people, who listen to the facts and decide whether the defendant is guilty or not guiltywitness someone who describes in a court of law what he or she knows about a crimetestimony a formal statement made in a court of law about a particular situation or actionverdict the decision of the jury as to whether the defendant is guilty or not guilty
Examples from the Corpus
court• The next step is for the lessor to make a court application to obtain an order for possession.• Even physical access to a court hearing was not guaranteed.• Now the company was in the soup, and its attorneys promptly removed the case to the federal court.• And yet another plot twist was aired in court Wednesday.• Benton appeared in court yesterday on three charges of assault.• He had been present in court when sentence was passed and the fact of his contempt was never in issue.• the United States Supreme Court• The new leisure complex has a sauna, jacuzzi, swimming pool and tennis courts.• After the hearing, as the vans taking the boys from the court emerged the crowd exploded with anger.• A group of photographers and reporters gathered outside the court.• There was a large crowd of reporters gathered outside the court.• The court heard Edmunds initially took 10 percent of the earnings but with nothing for the Sunsets.• The courts ought, therefore, simply to decline jurisdiction in such matters.• The courts are floodlit at night so that you can play all the year round.• She says she will go to court to try to prove that she was unfairly dismissed from her job.• a volleyball courttake ... to court• As a result of this incident, Mailloux was dismissed and took his case to court.• I got arrested in the evening and they kept me in and took me to court the next day.• Corrupt insiders should be taken to court, not thrown aside by presidents as electoral bargaining chips.• Taylor received their unexpected visits, notices arrived in the mail informing them that they were being taken to court.• Groups with a grievance could take their cases to court.• Any man who has taken his brothers to court three times since 1980 must have a cutting edge to his personality.• As a result, the school penalized the student publishers, and they took their case to court.• He was going to take them to court, declare them perverts, unfit to raise a child.squash/tennis/basketball etc court• Sports facilities include a swimming pool and 4 tennis courts.• There is also a children's pool, shops and a tennis court.• There would be room for a tennis court, too.• There's a delightful promenade beside the river, a network of walks and rambles plus tennis courts and a mini-golf course.• Joseph's father was reinforcing the posts that held up the wire netting around the tennis court.• A large, blue divider splits the gym at the Higgins Middle School into two basketball courts. courtcourt2 verb [transitive] 1 TRY TO DO OR GET somethingto try hard to please someone, especially because you want something from them His campaign team have assiduously courted the media.2 → court danger/death etc3 → be courting4 RELATIONSHIP old-fashioned if a man courts a woman, he spends time being nice to her because he hopes to marry her→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
court• She finally married a gentleman who had been courting her for years.• He is accompanied by Nicholas Frere, who has been courting his sister and whose intrepid, free-spirited demeanour he envies.• But ingratiation is not just about courting popularity.• The whole trade courts psychological flaws.• In the latter, parishioners staked out positions and courted support as though an election loomed.• Politicians are courting voters before the elections.• Of how he had met, courted, wed Constance.From Longman Business Dictionarycourtcourt1 /kɔːtkɔːrt/ noun1the court the people in a court, especially the judge, other officials, and the JURY (=ordinary people who decide certain cases). The phrase is often used when talking about what a judge or jury think or decide about a caseThe court said the defendants had been denied a fair trial.2[countable]LAW a place where all the information concerning a crime or disagreement is given so that it can be judgedThe new laws haven’t yet been tested in court.Sexual harassment is a criminal offense in Germany, but few women complain or go to court (=start the legal process to have a case dealt with in court).Federal authorities are free to take taxpayers to court to collect unpaid taxes.The two sides agreed to settle the case out of court (=without asking the court to make a decision). → Admiralty court → appeal court → bankruptcy court → civil court → commercial court → county court → criminal court → Crown Court → district court → family court → Federal Court → High Court → labour court → mercantile court → small claims court → state court → Supreme Courtcourtcourt2 verb [transitive]1to behave nicely towards someone because you want them to do something for you or you want to get something from themA distinguished chemist, Ed Alexander has been courted by large corporations, but he stays in the classroom doing what he loves - teaching.The EU is being courted by a number of countries putting themselves forward as the best suppliers of energy.2FINANCE if one company courts another, it has discussions with the other company about the possibility of a friendly takeover or MERGER (=combining the companies)While only Daimler-Benz has courted the luxury car company in public, Volkswagen is also said to be interested in buying it.→ See Verb tableOrigin court1 (1200-1300) Old French Latin cohors; → COHORT 