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.
This is, of course, exactly the sort of interaction that restaurant apps are forever attempting to imitate.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
Artists, of course, are no strangers to things not going to plan.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
"We of course know it's a harsh submission to make, but we submit it is demanded by the nature of the offending in this case."
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
"It's an international issue in terms of the population. Although, of course, we have a larger number of individuals in the US."
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
There was no getting away without J.W., of course.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
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.
