Jump To:

• matter of course
  matter of course

  noun

  something that follows in logical, natural, or customary sequence or that is treated as such.
• matter-of-course
  matter-of-course

  adjective

  occurring or proceeding in or as if in the logical, natural, or customary course of things; expected or inevitable.

matter of course

¹ American  

noun

1. something that follows in logical, natural, or customary sequence or that is treated as such.

   After such reprisals, war followed as a matter of course.

---

matter-of-course ² American  

[mat-er-uhv-kawrs, -kohrs] / ˈmæt ər əvˈkɔrs, -ˈkoʊrs /

adjective

1. occurring or proceeding in or as if in the logical, natural, or customary course of things; expected or inevitable.

2. accepting things as occurring in their natural course, or characterized by an acceptance of things as such.

   to be matter-of-course in confronting the difficulties of existence.

---

matter of course British  

noun

1. an event or result that is natural or inevitable

---

adjective

1. (usually postpositive) occurring as a matter of course

2. accepting things as inevitable or natural

   a matter-of-course attitude

Etymology

Origin of matter of course¹

First recorded in 1730–40

Origin of matter-of-course²

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

matter of course matter-of-course

This doesn’t mean that interest rates don’t matter, of course.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026

Weak teams are given a boost and strong ones are kneecapped, all as a matter of course.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

As a practical matter, of course, that may be difficult, since anyone who will be named by a federal court or approved by the Senate may have too much integrity to pursue such baseless charges.

From Slate ● Nov. 24, 2025

No matter, of course, because the team’s current roster also includes Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 13, 2025

The judges then indicated that as a matter of course they would talk with me privately.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

“Convicts, sergeant?” asked Mr. Wopsle, in a matter-of-course way.

From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens

Instead of being transfixed, Herbert replied in an easy matter-of-course way, “Exactly. Well?”

From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens

These things are by no means matter-of-course, however, but are matter of chivalry—chivalry so innate as to have become convention.

From Feminism and Sex-Extinction by Arabella Kenealy

Pauline's matter-of-course complacency had a distinct chill under its superficial warmth.

From The Adventures of a Widow A Novel by Edgar Fawcett

They tell them in such a matter-of-course fashion, too, that they simply sink in.

From With our Fighting Men The story of their faith, courage, endurance in the Great War by William Edward Sellers