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

She said that considering the "wholesale implementation" of the recommendations "provoked fundamental questions about the editorial proposition of a show that, I believe, has now run its course over 10 years".

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026

"Whatever the next Man Utd phase is, I think Martinez's time at the club has run its course."

From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026

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

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

I felt like a toddler whose tantrum was being allowed to run its course.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

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Related Words

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

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