hold court

phrase

: to be the center of attention among friends or admirers

Examples of hold court in a Sentence

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But Rodríguez Castro held court for more than five hours, evoking Fidel Castro’s long, late-night meetings. — Romina Ruiz-Goiriena, USA Today, 6 July 2026 Perched along the Sea of Marmara, the boutique property sits on the largest of the islands, Büyükada, whose Ottoman-era mansions are where intellectuals and aristocrats held court in the 19th century. — Liam Hess, Vogue, 1 July 2026 Teyana Taylor held court in Stéphane Rolland on the 2026 BET Awards red carpet in Los Angeles on Sunday night. — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019 The Sopranos creator David Chase held court during the 60th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) in the Czech Republic on Tuesday. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 7 July 2026

Rhymes for hold court

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Browse Nearby Words

hold/control the purse strings
hold court
hold-down
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Cite this Entry

“Hold court.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hold%20court. Accessed 9 Jul. 2026.

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