cour·te·sy
ˈkər-tə-sē 
British also ˈkȯ-
plural courtesies
1
2
a
: general allowance despite facts : indulgence
hills called mountains by courtesy only
cour·te·sy
ˈkər-tə-sē
British also ˈkȯ-
: granted, provided, or performed as a courtesy or by way of courtesy (see courtesy entry 1)
made a courtesy call on the ambassador
Synonyms
Examples of courtesy in a Sentence
Noun
Civilized life cannot be sustained without hypocrisy. A certain moral code, a degree of courtesy and decorum, are necessary to keep our instincts under a modicum of control.
—
Ian Buruma, New York Review of Books, 2 Nov. 2006
Cara, who, courtesy of the cat, had a run in her leggings, picked up the phone in a panic …
—Helen Schulman, Wigwag, November 1990
"Coffee, sir?" asked a sailor. I nodded, still chilled. The courtesy, the ordinariness of these men was in the context somehow curious.
—Fred Reed, Harper's, September 1988
I tried to persuade him that all that Hamish Hamilton had attempted to do was to extend the kind of courtesies which cultural institutions thought to be his due.
—Isaiah Berlin, New York Times Book Review, 12 Apr. 1987
They treated us with courtesy and kindness.
She did it as a courtesy, not because she had to.
Everyone knows each other here, so we won't bother with the usual courtesies.
They shook hands and exchanged courtesies before beginning their discussion.
Adjective
As the heir to an earldom, Stephen was obliged to pay a courtesy call on the British ambassador …
—Ken Follett, The Man from St. Petersburg, 1982
Important visitors to the conference were provided with courtesy cars.
Ian Buruma, New York Review of Books, 2 Nov. 2006
Cara, who, courtesy of the cat, had a run in her leggings, picked up the phone in a panic …
—Helen Schulman, Wigwag, November 1990
"Coffee, sir?" asked a sailor. I nodded, still chilled. The courtesy, the ordinariness of these men was in the context somehow curious.
—Fred Reed, Harper's, September 1988
I tried to persuade him that all that Hamish Hamilton had attempted to do was to extend the kind of courtesies which cultural institutions thought to be his due.
—Isaiah Berlin, New York Times Book Review, 12 Apr. 1987
They treated us with courtesy and kindness.
She did it as a courtesy, not because she had to.
Everyone knows each other here, so we won't bother with the usual courtesies.
They shook hands and exchanged courtesies before beginning their discussion.
Adjective
As the heir to an earldom, Stephen was obliged to pay a courtesy call on the British ambassador …
—Ken Follett, The Man from St. Petersburg, 1982
Important visitors to the conference were provided with courtesy cars.
Recent Examples on the WebAngel Saunders, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2024
Some of those incidents involve what Horne described as courtesy crashes, when a vehicle is turning onto Ford Road and vehicles in two lanes slow up to allow that vehicle into traffic but vehicles in the third lane fail to stop because the drivers don’t see the turning vehicle and hit it.
—Eric D. Lawrence, Detroit Free Press, 13 Apr. 2024
Photographs from Robert Pirsig's 1968 motorcycle ride are courtesy of Wendy Pirsig; museum photos are by Jaclyn Nash and are courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History.
—USA TODAY, 12 Apr. 2024
And the fact that Democrats got seven bills passed this session represents some degree of courtesy to the minority party, said University of Kentucky political scientist Stephen Voss.
—Rebecca Grapevine, The Courier-Journal, 12 Apr. 2024
After taking office in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob, President Biden did not extend to Mr. Trump access to intelligence briefings upon request that former presidents can traditionally receive as a courtesy.
—Alan Feuer, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2024
Mom’s belly swells, courtesy of a baby growing inside it.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 11 Apr. 2024
The field’s parking lots, stands, concession area and announcer’s booth are undergoing major renovation courtesy of development money that was set aside by the City of San Diego.
—John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Apr. 2024
Ushkowitz was among those who departed the show courtesy of that readjustment.
—Staff Author, EW.com, 7 Apr. 2024
Mayukh Sen, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2024
Rates: From $289 per night Resort Fee: $25 fee; includes a check-in pour of The Rally’s Mile High Jinks beers; access to the Skybridge Rooftop Deck & Plunge Pool; courtesy car to destinations within two miles; and more.
—Chadner Navarro, Travel + Leisure, 9 Apr. 2024
Music and lyrics are courtesy of Prince with direction by Tony Award-nominee Lileana Blain-Cruz.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 6 Feb. 2024
The digital cookbook is only available in the Chiefs mobile app — and also includes Travis Kelce's favorite magic marshmallow rolls courtesy of his mom Donna Kelce.
—Ana Calderone, Peoplemag, 19 Jan. 2024
Today, the 911 GT3 RS can generate 1,895 lbs (860 kg) of downforce at 285 km/h, with a low-downforce setting for lower speeds courtesy of active front and rear wing elements.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 16 Oct. 2023
The jaw-dropping transformation comes courtesy stylist Dimitris Giannetos, who regularly works with Fox and a slate of stars like Joey King, Ciara and Gigi Hadid.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 6 Sep. 2023
Our testing also shows that the Tellis in fact works with most body types courtesy of their tailored shape and tailored leg.
—Maverick Li, Men's Health, 22 Aug. 2023
Greta Gerwig’s Barbie is a film rife with larger-than-life, extremely pink, across-the-board tremendous fashion, largely courtesy of costume designer Jacqueline Durran (who has powerfully informed the popularity of Barbiecore).
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 27 July 2023
Noun
Also found on her custom corset is a special detail, courtesy of Parekh — an anatomical heart, which pays homage to Coughlan’s character, Penelope Featherington’s love story in the upcoming season of the Netflix hit series.
—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2024
Some of those incidents involve what Horne described as courtesy crashes, when a vehicle is turning onto Ford Road and vehicles in two lanes slow up to allow that vehicle into traffic but vehicles in the third lane fail to stop because the drivers don’t see the turning vehicle and hit it.
—Eric D. Lawrence, Detroit Free Press, 13 Apr. 2024
Photographs from Robert Pirsig's 1968 motorcycle ride are courtesy of Wendy Pirsig; museum photos are by Jaclyn Nash and are courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History.
—USA TODAY, 12 Apr. 2024
And the fact that Democrats got seven bills passed this session represents some degree of courtesy to the minority party, said University of Kentucky political scientist Stephen Voss.
—Rebecca Grapevine, The Courier-Journal, 12 Apr. 2024
After taking office in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob, President Biden did not extend to Mr. Trump access to intelligence briefings upon request that former presidents can traditionally receive as a courtesy.
—Alan Feuer, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2024
Mom’s belly swells, courtesy of a baby growing inside it.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 11 Apr. 2024
The field’s parking lots, stands, concession area and announcer’s booth are undergoing major renovation courtesy of development money that was set aside by the City of San Diego.
—John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Apr. 2024
Ushkowitz was among those who departed the show courtesy of that readjustment.
—Staff Author, EW.com, 7 Apr. 2024
Adjective
In Flesh and Women in Revolt, Warhol and his artistic associates cast Darling as a woman, a courtesy other filmmakers didn’t always extend to her.
—Mayukh Sen, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2024
Rates: From $289 per night Resort Fee: $25 fee; includes a check-in pour of The Rally’s Mile High Jinks beers; access to the Skybridge Rooftop Deck & Plunge Pool; courtesy car to destinations within two miles; and more.
—Chadner Navarro, Travel + Leisure, 9 Apr. 2024
Music and lyrics are courtesy of Prince with direction by Tony Award-nominee Lileana Blain-Cruz.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 6 Feb. 2024
The digital cookbook is only available in the Chiefs mobile app — and also includes Travis Kelce's favorite magic marshmallow rolls courtesy of his mom Donna Kelce.
—Ana Calderone, Peoplemag, 19 Jan. 2024
Today, the 911 GT3 RS can generate 1,895 lbs (860 kg) of downforce at 285 km/h, with a low-downforce setting for lower speeds courtesy of active front and rear wing elements.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 16 Oct. 2023
The jaw-dropping transformation comes courtesy stylist Dimitris Giannetos, who regularly works with Fox and a slate of stars like Joey King, Ciara and Gigi Hadid.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 6 Sep. 2023
Our testing also shows that the Tellis in fact works with most body types courtesy of their tailored shape and tailored leg.
—Maverick Li, Men's Health, 22 Aug. 2023
Greta Gerwig’s Barbie is a film rife with larger-than-life, extremely pink, across-the-board tremendous fashion, largely courtesy of costume designer Jacqueline Durran (who has powerfully informed the popularity of Barbiecore).
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 27 July 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'courtesy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near courtesy
Cite this Entry
“Courtesy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/courtesy. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share