courtyard

noun

court·​yard ˈkȯrt-ˌyärd 

: a court or enclosure adjacent to a building (such as a house or palace)

Synonyms of courtyard

• patio
• quadrangle
• enclosure
• yard

Examples of courtyard in a Sentence

The apartment overlooks a courtyard.

a series of lunchtime concerts in the museum's open-air courtyard

Recent Examples on the Web

Set the scene The first few steps inside Desa Potato Head Bali's Brutalist-looking courtyard feel decidedly un-Balinese. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Oct. 2026

Set in a courtyard deep within the forest, Oaken and his family will invite guests to dine together while enjoying the musical stylings of his cousins. — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026

Naheda attends tenth grade in a tent pitched in a school courtyard. — Mosab Abu Toha, New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2026

Artisans filled the 188,368-square-foot courtyard with a marble mosaic depicting gigantic native blooms alongside irises, tulips, lilies and roses. — Kieron Marchese, Architectural Digest, 6 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1552, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for courtyard

• asgard
• backyard
• barnyard
• blackguard
• bombard
• brickyard
• canard
• churchyard
• coastguard
• debarred
• diehard
• disbarred

Kids Definition

courtyard

noun

court·​yard -ˌyärd 

: a court or enclosure next to a building