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• 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.

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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.

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matter of course British  

noun

1. an event or result that is natural or inevitable

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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

Which brings me to my optimistic long-term prediction: The world will become a safer place once leaders, as a matter of course, feed their strategic ambitions and calculations through an LLM before acting on them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026

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

And that’s how the pardon power operated in early American history: Prosecutors and judges routinely recommended clemency in unjust cases, which presidents granted as a matter of course.

From Slate ● Dec. 2, 2024

In those days, I believed that proficiency in English and success in business were the direct result of high academic achievements and I assumed as a matter of course that Sisulu was a university graduate.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

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

From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens

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

From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens

There is active competition for them, the ordinary, quiet routine of matter-of-course reference being interrupted by rival motions seeking to give very different directions to the disposition to be made of them.

From Congressional Government A Study in American Politics by Woodrow Wilson

The introduction promptly followed, and Josie's glib, matter-of-course explanation soon succeeded that.

From An Ambitious Woman A Novel by Edgar Fawcett

This is the matter-of-course privilege of every other master; and if Congress does not possess it, its mastery is hampered without being denied.

From Congressional Government A Study in American Politics by Woodrow Wilson