of course

Idioms  

1. 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.”

2. 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 .

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Example Sentences

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

Fly, of course, and yet another example of the brilliance and style of Black people on display today, but it also conjures something Halsey said weeks before the “sister dreamer” opening.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026

The main concern would be higher fares, of course.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 14, 2026

They were right, of course, but the bold predictions, external of the curly-haired youngster from Holywood racking up figures to challenge Nicklaus and Woods proved too dizzy.

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026

We knew, of course, that there was an underground in Holland—or suspected it.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom