of course
Idioms-
In the customary or expected order, naturally, as in The new minister did not, of course, fire the church secretary . This usage, first recorded in 1548, employs course in the sense of “ordinary procedure.”
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Certainly, as in Of course I'll answer the phone , or Are you going to the meeting?—Of course . [Early 1800s] Also see matter of course .
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.
"Their distress is clear, and for that, I am of course deeply sorry."
From BBC • May 20, 2026
This, of course, will likely mean that you’ll have to share what you earn first.
From MarketWatch • May 20, 2026
When it dips below, of course, it has from time to time, but I try to pump it up to be positive.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
I assumed no one would hear me, but, of course, they did—and called my mother.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
Then, of course, they all screamed—a horrific sound that sent chills down Clare’s furry spine.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
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.
