course
Americannoun
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courses
plural
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a direction or route taken or to be taken.
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the path, route, or channel along which anything moves.
the course of a stream.
- Synonyms:
- bearing
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advance or progression in a particular direction; forward or onward movement.
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the continuous passage or progress through time or a succession of stages.
in the course of a year;
in the course of the battle.
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the track, ground, water, etc., on which a race is run, sailed, etc..
One runner fell halfway around the course.
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a particular manner of proceeding.
a course of action.
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a customary manner of procedure; regular or natural order of events.
the course of a disease.
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a mode of conduct; behavior.
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a systematized or prescribed series.
a course of lectures;
a course of medical treatments.
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a program of instruction, as in a college or university.
a course in economics.
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a prescribed number of instruction periods or classes in a particular field of study.
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a part of a meal served at one time.
The main course was roast chicken with mashed potatoes and peas.
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Navigation.
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the line along the earth's surface upon or over which a ship, an aircraft, etc., proceeds: described by its bearing with relation to true or magnetic north.
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a point of the compass.
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Nautical. the lowermost sail on a fully square-rigged mast: designated by a special name, as foresail or mainsail, or by the designation of the mast itself, as fore course or main course.
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Building Trades. a continuous and usually horizontal row of bricks, shingles, etc., as in a wall or roof.
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one of the pairs of strings on an instrument of the lute family, tuned in unison or in octaves to increase the volume.
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the row of stitches going across from side to side in knitting and other needlework (opposed to wale).
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Older Use. Often courses the periodic flow of blood and mucosal tissue from the uterus; a menstrual period.
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a charge by knights in a tournament.
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a pursuit of game with dogs by sight rather than by scent.
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a race.
verb (used with object)
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courses,
present (3rd person singular)
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coursed,
past participle, past
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coursing
present participle
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to run through or over.
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to chase; pursue.
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to hunt (game) with dogs by sight rather than by scent.
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to cause (dogs) to pursue game by sight rather than by scent.
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Masonry. to lay (bricks, stones, etc.) in continuous rows.
verb (used without object)
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courses,
present (3rd person singular)
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coursed,
past participle, past
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coursing
present participle
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to follow a direction, route, or path; direct one's path.
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to run, race, or move swiftly.
The blood of ancient emperors courses through his veins.
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to take part in a hunt with hounds, a tilting match, etc.
idioms
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of course,
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certainly; definitely.
Of course I'll come to the party.
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(used to convey that something is expected, unsurprising, or previously known).
The language of the Romans was, of course, Latin.
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in due course, in the proper or natural order of events; eventually.
They will get their comeuppance in due course.
noun
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a continuous progression from one point to the next in time or space; onward movement
the course of his life
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a route or direction followed
they kept on a southerly course
-
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the path or channel along which something moves
the course of a river
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( in combination )
a watercourse
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an area or stretch of land or water on which a sport is played or a race is run
a golf course
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a period of time; duration
in the course of the next hour
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the usual order of and time required for a sequence of events; regular procedure
the illness ran its course
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a mode of conduct or action
if you follow that course, you will certainly fail
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a connected series of events, actions, etc
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a prescribed number of lessons, lectures, etc, in an educational curriculum
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the material covered in such a curriculum
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a prescribed regimen to be followed for a specific period of time
a course of treatment
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a part of a meal served at one time
the fish course
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a continuous, usually horizontal, layer of building material, such as a row of bricks, tiles, etc
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nautical any of the sails on the lowest yards of a square-rigged ship
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knitting the horizontal rows of stitches Compare wale 1
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(in medieval Europe) a charge by knights in a tournament
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a hunt by hounds relying on sight rather than scent
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a match in which two greyhounds compete in chasing a hare
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the part or function assigned to an individual bell in a set of changes
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archaic a running race
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as a natural or normal consequence, mode of action, or event
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the ordinary course of events
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in the process of
the ship was in course of construction
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at some future time, esp the natural or appropriate time
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(adverb) as expected; naturally
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(sentence substitute) certainly; definitely
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(of something) to complete its development or action
verb
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(intr) to run, race, or flow, esp swiftly and without interruption
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to cause (hounds) to hunt by sight rather than scent or (of hounds) to hunt (a quarry) thus
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(tr) to run through or over; traverse
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(intr) to take a direction; proceed on a course
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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coursesimple
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coursessimple
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have coursedperfect
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has coursedperfect
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am coursingprogressive
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are coursingprogressive
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is coursingprogressive
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have been coursingperfect progressive
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has been coursingperfect progressive
Past
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coursedsimple
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had coursedperfect
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was coursingprogressive
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were coursingprogressive
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had been coursingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of course
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English co(u)rs (noun), from Anglo-French co(u)rs(e), Old French cours, from Latin cursus “race, path, orbit,” noun use of past participle of currere “to run”; cf. current ( def. )
Explanation
The noun course can refer to a series of lectures, discussions, or other lessons in a particular subject. To graduate from high school, you have to take certain courses in English, social studies, math, and science. Naturally, you want to pass them! The noun course can refer to a part of a meal. If you love chocolate, your favorite course will be dessert — it's a triple chocolate mousse! The noun course can also refer to an area laid out for a particular sport, as in a golf course or obstacle course. As a verb course can mean to move quickly over or through a certain path, especially some liquid, like when tears course down your cheeks at a sad movie. Don't confuse the spelling of course with coarse, which is an adjective meaning rough.
Vocabulary lists containing course
Make a Run for It: Cur, Curs
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Unit 7, Week 1
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Week 3 Vocabulary
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Come early to mingle with the cast, in character, of course, who may or may not need your help in deciphering some puzzles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
"There is a large, very large, amount of investment going into this sector now, and of course that's natural because it's a major area of growth," said Bailey.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
"Of course it remains an ongoing, complex, and serious police investigation," said Burnham.
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
Over the course of the next half-century, she produced more than 5,000 works in crayon, oil and collage: landscapes and masklike images—amalgams of abstraction, figuration, flora and fauna.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
Because of course, Berlin was wearing her program T-shirt and probably Marcie had called ahead.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Federal prosecutors previously alleged that by quickly nabbing popular early morning tee times almost immediately after they were available to the public, the brothers had “created a monopoly” over Southern California golf courses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026
The guilty pleas came shortly after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation barring third-party brokers from advertising, selling or transferring tee-time reservations at publicly owned golf courses without the written consent of the course operator.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026
As university courses go it may raise a few eyebrows, but Destiny McGowan has no doubt that hers was very useful.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
Some are podcasters or video hosts; others offer online courses with names like “Wife School” or “Wife Academy.”
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
But the anger courses through me; my feet are cemented in place.
From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed
Mohit said he kept running as a searing pain coursed through his body until he reached a café, bought a bottle of water and washed his wounds.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
“Antisemitism,” she contends, “has coursed throughout American history.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2025
Overflowing rivers coursed through villages, sweeping away homes, roads and bridges and triggering landslides.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2025
A sense of panic coursed through the city, as prices for food and fuel skyrocketed.
From New York Times ● May 6, 2024
News of her absence coursed through the boomtowns, traveling from porch to porch, from store to store.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
But in one weird way, Schlittler is different from all the other major-league pitchers who have lightning coursing through their veins: He actually uses it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
The novel’s length is daunting, but the writing is swift and eventful, often expressed in coursing run-on sentences.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
"I would say this is 100% a properly organised coursing event, with competitors and competitive dogs. People watching the course - and watching and betting on that sport. It was quite terrifying."
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
But now Nvidia’s stock is hot again, rising 2.4% in Friday’s session and coursing toward its eighth session in a row of gains.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 10, 2026
“Now,” said Mrs. Baker, “while the sugar is coursing through your veins.”
From "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
