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court

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noun American English pronunciation: court /kɔrt/ 
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singularcourt
pluralcourts
 
  1. 1
    [countable/uncountable] legal a place where trials take place and legal cases are decided, especially in front of a judge and a jury.
    in court:

    The charges were read aloud in court.

    appear in court:

    Duggan will appear in court on Monday.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  courtThesaurus entry for this meaning of court
    1. a.

      the court

       [singular] the people in a court, especially the judge and jury

      A police officer told the court that he had seen Brown leaving the house.

      the evidence before the court (=being considered by the court)

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  courtThesaurus entry for this meaning of court
    2. b.
      [only before noun] done by a court or relating to a court

      They are dropping their court case against him.

      She got a court injunction banning her husband from her home.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  courtThesaurus entry for this meaning of court
    3. c.

      the courts

       [plural] the system of courts that decide legal cases

      You can always try to get your money back through the courts.

      The courts ruled that the company are entitled to make a fair profit.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  courtThesaurus entry for this meaning of court
    4. d.
      [uncountable] used for referring to the process of taking a legal action against someone
      go to court (=begin a court case):

      She threatened to go to court if he did not pay up.

      take someone to court (=begin a case against someone):

      Lynn took her employers to court for compensation.

      come to court (=start to be discussed in court):

      It took five years for the case to come to court.

      settle out of court (=agree to pay someone in order to avoid a court case):

      Mr. Lodge settled out of court for $50,000.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  courtThesaurus entry for this meaning of court
    See also  court of appeals
  2. 2
    [countable] an area marked with lines where some sports are played, such as tennis and basketball
    tennis/squash/basketball/badminton court:

    The hotel has two tennis courts.

    on court:

    The players had been on court for over two hours.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of  courtThesaurus entry for this meaning of court

phrase

See also

This is the American English definition of court. View British English definition of court.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to British English.

 

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