course

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noun

ˈkȯrs

: the act or action of moving in a path from point to point

the planets in their courses

: the path over which something moves or extends: such as

: racecourse

b(1)

: the direction of travel of a vehicle (such as a ship or airplane) usually measured as a clockwise angle from north

also : the projected path of travel

(2)

: a point of the compass

: watercourse

: golf course

: accustomed procedure or normal action

the law taking its course

: a chosen manner of conducting oneself : way of acting

Our wisest course is to retreat.

c(1)

: progression through a development or period or a series of acts or events

the course of history

(2)

: life history, career

: an ordered process or succession: such as

: a number of lectures or other matter dealing with a subject

took a course in zoology

also : a series of such courses constituting a curriculum

a premed course

: a series of doses or medications administered over a designated period

: a part of a meal served at one time

the main course

: layer

especially : a continuous level range of brick or masonry throughout a wall

: the lowest sail on a square-rigged mast

course

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verb

coursed; coursing

transitive verb

: to follow close upon : pursue

: to hunt or pursue (game) with hounds

: to cause (dogs) to run (as after game)

: to run or move swiftly through or over : traverse

Jets coursed the area daily.

intransitive verb

: to run or pass rapidly along or as if along an indicated path

blood coursing through the veins

Phrases

in due course

: after a normal passage of time : in the expected or allotted time

His discoveries led in due course to new forms of treatment.

of course

: following the ordinary way or procedure

will be done as a matter of course

: as might be expected

Of course we will go.

Example Sentences

Noun the course of a river The pilot brought the plane back on course. The ship was blown off course by a storm. She's taking a chemistry course this semester. Students earn the degree after a two-year course of study. There is no cure, but the treatment will slow the course of the disease. Verb the blood coursing through my veins Tears were coursing down his cheeks. See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

But there were also, of course, the newcomers — those who shared in Molander’s vision for what the blank slate could become.

The Arizona Republic, 27 Nov. 2022 Obviously, right now our-our heart is with the victims, five people who lost their lives, their families, dozens of others injured and of course, many traumatized.

CBS News, 27 Nov. 2022 The Hollywood Christmas Parade will celebrate its 90th anniversary Sunday with live bands, colorful floats and, of course, the star of the evening: Santa Claus and his reindeer.

Melissa Gomezstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov. 2022 On the other side, of course, there was heartbreak.

Kyle Neddenriep, The Indianapolis Star, 27 Nov. 2022 But of course, the answer needs to be national, as well.

NBC News, 27 Nov. 2022 As the year comes to a close, listening to some festive tunes is the perfect way to reflect, gear up for the year ahead and of course, have fun.

Karla Pope, Good Housekeeping, 27 Nov. 2022 Folksinger Lucy Kaplansky, known for her collaborations over the years with Dar Williams, Nanci Griffith, Richard Shindell, John Gorka and Shawn Colvin, is of course also renowned as a solo act.

Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 26 Nov. 2022 That, of course, is Rule No. 1 for any group encounter.

Laurie Hertzel, Chicago Tribune, 26 Nov. 2022

Verb

Ski mountaineers need visual acuity on dangerous descents, and ski racers hitting over 90 mph must be able to react to course variations in milliseconds.

Brigid Mander, WSJ, 22 Nov. 2022 The Indus flows north to south through Pakistan, spanning the length of the country; the torrents course west to east, tumbling down various mountain ranges and ultimately emptying into the river.

Alizeh Kohari, The New York Review of Books, 3 Nov. 2022 But anyone who’s lived a little knows that no matter what course your life is on, everything can change in an instant.

Anna Moeslein, Glamour, 28 Oct. 2022 Holly Constantine, director of art for K-12, said the lab will be used for design careers course work.

Steve Smith, Hartford Courant, 7 Oct. 2022 The boys course record, 15:37.4, was set by Matthew Singleton of Aurora and may be out of reach for this field.

Joe Magill, cleveland, 25 Aug. 2022 Still, cross currents continue to course through markets, and analysts largely expect sharp swings in prices to continue.

Damian J. Troise And Stan Choe, Anchorage Daily News, 3 Oct. 2022 Owen Pappoe and his teammates at Auburn have an opportunity to course correct from a tough 28-20 loss last season against Penn State.

al, 13 Sep. 2022 In their presence, the hippocampus—a region crucial for memory—produces fewer fresh neurons, while many existing neurons lose their insulating coats, so electric signals now course along these cells more slowly.

Ed Yong, The Atlantic, 12 Sep. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'course.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English cours, borrowed from Anglo-French cours, curs, going back to Latin cursus "action of running, charge, movement along a path, progress," from currere "to run, flow" + -tus, suffix of verbal action — more at current entry 1

Note: As pointed out by Michiel de Vaan (Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the Other Italic Languages, Leiden, 2008), the expected outcome of the verbal adjective in *-to- and the verbal noun in *-tū- would be *kostus < *korstus < *kr̥s-to-, kr̥s-tū-, from the verbal base *kr̥s- (> currere). The attested form cursus for both the past participle and verbal noun reflects remodeling on the pattern of stems ending in a dental (as morsus from mordere "to bite," versus from vertere "to turn"). As generally in Latin, the verbal noun, where full grade of the root would be expected, has been supplanted by zero grade of the verbal adjective.