Uppvakta

Uppvakta is a Swedish verb meaning to court or woo someone, i.e., to make romantic advances in order to win that person’s affection or favorable attention. The term can also denote showing polite attention or homage, especially in historical or formal contexts. Grammatically, uppvakta is transitive: uppvakta någon. A typical sentence is, for example, "Han uppvaktade henne med blommor och dikter."

In modern Swedish the word is somewhat formal or old‑fashioned; everyday dating is usually described with flirta (to flirt) or fria (to propose marriage). The related noun uppvaktning refers to courtship or to acts intended to win someone’s favor, and can also denote general attention shown to someone.

In business or marketing language, uppvakta can be used metaphorically to describe efforts to win customers or patrons, for example "företaget uppvaktade sina kunder med en rabatt." The term frequently appears in literary and historical texts and is occasionally encountered in formal journalism.

See also

flirta, fria, courtship, uppvaktning, väcka intresse.