of course
Idioms-
In the customary or expected order, naturally, as in The new minister did not, of course, fire the church secretary . This usage, first recorded in 1548, employs course in the sense of “ordinary procedure.”
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Certainly, as in Of course I'll answer the phone , or Are you going to the meeting?—Of course . [Early 1800s] Also see matter of course .
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.
When governments and their advisers are, as matter of course, using AI to improve their decision-making, expect fewer purblind, tunnel-visioned strategic decisions based on wishful thinking.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
Fly, of course, and yet another example of the brilliance and style of Black people on display today, but it also conjures something Halsey said weeks before the “sister dreamer” opening.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026
The main concern would be higher fares, of course.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 14, 2026
Except, of course, feminists have also pushed for policies that make this possible for women, such as affordable daycare, while also calling on men to do their fair share at home.
From Salon • Apr. 13, 2026
The next morning I looked out, but the truck was gone, and of course the minivan was gone, too.
From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott
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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.