run its course

Idioms  

1. Proceed to its logical or natural conclusion, as in The doctor said the cold would probably run its course within a week. This idiom employs course in the sense of “an onward movement in a particular path.” [Second half of 1500s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

run its course

With production at Platform Gilda dwindling to 1,100 barrels per day, staff said the rig would also run its course if it weren’t for fracking.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

Professional matchmaker Sarah Louise Ryan welcomed the move, saying Bumble's signature feature had "run its course".

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

Zeroing in on one of those drivers in particular, Rubner had this to say: “The leverage reset has largely run its course, creating room for systematic strategies to add exposure as volatility falls.”

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026

However, Hong Leong notes recent hospital listings have largely run its course and investors are now focusing on company fundamentals, downgrading its rating on the sector to neutral from overweight.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

But they let it run its course, fulfill itself, and never invented ways either to alter it, to annihilate it or to prevent its happening again.

From "Sula" by Toni Morrison

Related Words

• break
• cease
• close
• drop
• end
• halt
• hold
• kill
• pause
• put an end to
• quit
• stall
• stand
• stay