par for the course

Idioms  

1. An average or normal amount; just what one might expect. For example, I missed three questions, but that's par for the course. This term comes from golf, where it refers to the number of strokes needed by an expert golfer to finish the entire course. Its figurative use for other kinds of expectation dates from the second half of the 1900s.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

par for the course

This may have been England's best World Cup for 60 years, but at best it was par for the course and at worst a failure.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

These findings are pretty much par for the course.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026

The court’s ruling was in some ways par for the course in that it marked yet another rejection of a 5th Circuit’s ruling.

From Slate ● Jun. 18, 2026

“That particular fantasy is par for the course in this city,” she says, though she’s not above it.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2026

“This castle, though, sounds pretty much par for the course for us. So, I guess we know where we’re going next.”

From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley

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