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Synonyms

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]

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.

Dementia is a special illness, and it can take a long time to run its course.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 11, 2026

That should shake off some of the concerns that the artificial-intelligence trade External link has run its course.

From Barron's • Feb. 11, 2026

He fears the strategy has run its course.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 31, 2025

"Ultimately, the legal process will run its course in court, and in time we hope to arrive at a just and fair resolution," he said.

From BBC • Oct. 6, 2025

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

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.