occurring or proceeding in or as if in the logical, natural, or customary course of things; expected or inevitable.
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.
(usually postpositive) occurring as a matter of course
accepting things as inevitable or natural
a matter-of-course attitude
First recorded in 1730–40
First recorded in 1830–40
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For the first time in the 96-year history of the World Cup, matches have been interrupted around the 22nd and 67th minutes as a matter of course.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026
When governments and their advisers are, as matter of course, using AI to improve their decision-making, expect fewer purblind, tunnel-visioned strategic decisions based on wishful thinking.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 14, 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
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
“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
So I fear he thought me rather ungrateful and matter-of-course, for he couldn't know that I was feeling an excess of emotion which kept me silent.
From Music-Study in Germany from the Home Correspondence of Amy Fay by Fay, Amy
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 Sellers, William Edward
She was proud of the matter-of-course manner of the remark.
From The Old Blood by Palmer, Frederick
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.
