court

Primary Meanings of court

1.	n	an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business
2.	n	the sovereign and his advisers who are the governing power of a state
3.	n	an area wholly or partly surrounded by walls or buildings
4.	n v	respectful deference seek someone's favor

Full Definitions of court

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

Synonyms:: judicature, tribunal

Examples:: Spanish Inquisition
an inquisition initiated in 1478 by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella that guarded the orthodoxy of Catholicism in Spain (especially from the 15th to the 17th centuries); Congregation of the Inquisition
an inquisition set up in Italy in 1542 to curb the number of Protestants

Types:: show 32 types...; hide 32 types...; court of justice, court of law, lawcourt
a tribunal that is presided over by a magistrate or by one or more judges who administer justice according to the laws; International Court of Justice, World Court
a court established to settle disputes between members of the United Nations; appeals court, appellate court, court of appeals
a court whose jurisdiction is to review decisions of lower courts or agencies; assizes, court of assize, court of assize and nisi prius
the county courts of England (replaced in 1971 by Crown courts); chancery, court of chancery
a court with jurisdiction in equity; consistory
a church tribunal or governing body; criminal court
a court having jurisdiction over criminal cases; divorce court
a court having jurisdiction over the termination of marriage contracts; 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); federal court
a court establish by the authority of a federal government; 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; inferior court, lower court
any court whose decisions can be appealed to a higher court; Inquisition
a former tribunal of the Roman Catholic Church (1232-1820) created to discover and suppress heresy; juvenile court
a court having jurisdiction over dependent and delinquent children; kangaroo court
an irregular unauthorized court; military court
a judicial court of commissioned officers for the discipline and punishment of military personnel; moot court
a mock court where law students argue hypothetical cases; 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; probate court
a court having jurisdiction over the probate of wills and the administration of estates; quarter sessions
a local court with criminal jurisdiction and sometimes administrative functions; Rota
(Roman Catholic Church) the supreme ecclesiastical tribunal for cases appealed to the Holy See from diocesan courts; Star Chamber
a former English court that became notorious for its arbitrary methods and severe punishments; superior court
any court that has jurisdiction above an inferior court; high court, state supreme court, supreme court
the highest court in most states of the United States; traffic court
a court that has power to prosecute for traffic offenses; trial court
the first court before which the facts of a case are decided; circuit court of appeals
one of the twelve federal United States courts of appeals that cover a group of states known as a `circuit'; court-martial
a military court to try members of the armed services who are accused of serious breaches of martial law; night court
a criminal court (in large cities) that sits at night; Old Bailey
the central criminal court in London; provost court
a military court for trying people charged with minor offenses in an occupied area; Supreme Court, Supreme Court of the United States, United States Supreme Court
the highest federal court in the United States; has final appellate jurisdiction and has jurisdiction over all other courts in the nation

Type of:: assembly
a group of persons who are gathered together for a common purpose

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

Synonyms:: court of justice, court of law, lawcourt

Type of:: judicature, tribunal
an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business

n a room in which a lawcourt sits

Synonyms:: courtroom

Type of:: room
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

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

Synonyms:: royal court

Types:: Court of Saint James's
the British royal court; Porte, Sublime Porte
the Ottoman court in Constantinople

Type of:: authorities, government, regime
the organization that is the governing authority of a political unit

n the family and retinue of a sovereign or prince

Synonyms:: royal court

Type of:: cortege, entourage, retinue, suite
the group following and attending to some important person

n the residence of a sovereign or member of the nobility

“the king will visit the duke's court”

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

n an area wholly or partly surrounded by walls or buildings

“the house was built around an inner court”

Synonyms:: courtyard

Types:: show 6 types...; hide 6 types...; atrium
the central area in a building; open to the sky; 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)

Type of:: area
a part of a structure having some specific characteristic or function

n a specially marked horizontal area within which a game is played

“players had to reserve a court in advance”

Types:: show 8 types...; hide 8 types...; 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; home court
(basketball) the court where the host team plays its home games

Type of:: athletic field, field, playing area, playing field
a piece of land prepared for playing a game

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

Synonyms:: motor hotel, motor inn, motor lodge, tourist court

Types:: motel
a motor hotel

Type of:: hotel
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services

n respectful deference

“pay court to the emperor”

Synonyms:: homage

Type of:: deference, respect
a courteous expression (by word or deed) of esteem or regard

v seek someone's favor

Synonyms:: woo

v make amorous advances towards

“John is courting Mary”

Synonyms:: romance, solicit, woo

Types:: chase, chase after
pursue someone sexually or romantically; display
attract attention by displaying some body part or posing; of animals

Type of:: act, move
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)

v engage in social activities leading to marriage

“We were courting for over ten years”

Type of:: act, move
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)