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.
He told Mexican news site Milenio, external that the survivor "even asked for hydration drinks of specific flavours he likes", adding that "of course we indulged him".
From BBC • Jul. 2, 2026
It does not, of course, have to be this way.
From Slate • Jul. 2, 2026
People are furious at the referee, the clumsy VAR process, and, of course, at FIFA, soccer’s governing fiefdom.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 2, 2026
The difference between a $3,500 donation and a nearly $50,000 donation is, of course, stark.
From Salon • Jul. 2, 2026
We didn’t know, of course, the political views of all these people.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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.
