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
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 Web
Megan Feringa, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025
Photograph courtesy of Le Gryuère AOP Outside, Fromagerie de Mézières is ringed in meadow.
—Betsy Andrews, Bon Appetit Magazine, 10 Apr. 2025
Everett Potter, Forbes.com, 6 Apr. 2025
The bounce on the ends of her hair was also courtesy of the tool’s concentrator, and Coco applied Shark’s FlexFusion Straightener Attachment as the last step to lock in all that newfound volume and silk-like shine.
—Stacia Datskovska, WWD, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for courtesy
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Noun
United were purposeful and tenacious from the start and cruised to an early lead courtesy of a splendid solo goal from Bizet in the sixth minute.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025
Photograph courtesy of Le Gryuère AOP Outside, Fromagerie de Mézières is ringed in meadow.
—Betsy Andrews, Bon Appetit Magazine, 10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
The interiors are courtesy of Atlantic Hospitality’s team of designers, Krista Stokes and Mark Cotto, who drew inspiration from the coastal landscape to incorporate colors such as bark, moss, slate, oyster, and lady slipper pink.
—Everett Potter, Forbes.com, 6 Apr. 2025
The bounce on the ends of her hair was also courtesy of the tool’s concentrator, and Coco applied Shark’s FlexFusion Straightener Attachment as the last step to lock in all that newfound volume and silk-like shine.
—Stacia Datskovska, WWD, 3 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for courtesy
Cite this Entry
“Courtesy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/courtesy. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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