matter of course

¹ American  

noun

1. something that follows in logical, natural, or customary sequence or that is treated as such.

   After such reprisals, war followed as a matter of course.

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matter-of-course ² American  

[mat-er-uhv-kawrs, -kohrs] / ˈmæt ər əvˈkɔrs, -ˈkoʊrs /

adjective

1. occurring or proceeding in or as if in the logical, natural, or customary course of things; expected or inevitable.

2. accepting things as occurring in their natural course, or characterized by an acceptance of things as such.

   to be matter-of-course in confronting the difficulties of existence.

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matter of course British  

noun

1. an event or result that is natural or inevitable

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adjective

1. (usually postpositive) occurring as a matter of course

2. accepting things as inevitable or natural

   a matter-of-course attitude

Etymology

Origin of matter of course¹

First recorded in 1730–40

Origin of matter-of-course²

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

Which brings me to my optimistic long-term prediction: The world will become a safer place once leaders, as a matter of course, feed their strategic ambitions and calculations through an LLM before acting on them.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

No matter, of course, because the team’s current roster also includes Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 13, 2025

These are “de novo” mutations that pop up randomly; most are far too rare to be worth testing for prenatally as a matter of course.

From Slate • Jan. 28, 2024

Nunn told the Times that signing such a document is “something that is considered a matter of course for faculty to do anywhere else.”

From Salon • Dec. 4, 2023

With them came as a matter of course Atalanta, “The pride of the woods of Arcady.”

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton