course
noun (countable)
UK/kɔːs/US/kɔːrs/
A defined area for a particular activity, such as a golf course or race course.
Example Sentences
They spent the afternoon playing on the golf course.
The marathon runners trained on the race course to prepare for the event.
The university's sports facilities include a state-of-the-art swimming course.
She enjoys walking through the botanical course, admiring the diverse plant life.
The horse raced swiftly around the track's course.
Maintenance crews work tirelessly to keep the golf course in pristine condition.
The ski resort offers a variety of courses for different skill levels.
During the tournament, the runners followed a challenging course that tested their endurance.
Thesaurus
Synonyms
verb (intransitive)
UK/kɔːs/US/kɔːrs/
To move swiftly and in an uncontrolled way, typically down a slope (chiefly British usage).
Example Sentences
The car courseed down the steep hill before skidding to a stop.
During the race, the sled courseed rapidly over the icy terrain.
She watched as the horse courseed across the field with impressive speed.
The children courseed down the slide, laughing all the way.
In the heat of the moment, the cyclist courseed around the corner, narrowly avoiding a collision.
The boat courseed through the rough waters, battling the strong currents.
He couldn't control the bicycle, and it courseed off the path into the bushes.
The snowmobile courseed through the forest trail, leaving tracks behind it.
Thesaurus
Synonyms
Antonyms
How to Use
Refers to a progression or route in studies, actions, or physical direction.This noun takes on multiple meanings depending on context. In an educational setting, “course” denotes a class or series of lessons—“She’s enrolled in a history course this semester.” It can also mean a trajectory or direction, such as a ship’s route—“The captain charted a new course to avoid the storm.” In discussions about actions or sequences, you might hear “change course,” meaning to alter one’s plan or approach. Course can additionally describe phases in a meal—“The main course was especially delicious”—or figurative developments, as in “over the course of several weeks.” When using the word, specify the type of course—academic, navigational, culinary, or temporal—so listeners or readers know which aspect of progression you’re emphasizing. Whether you’re talking about a structured program of study, a direction taken by a vessel, or an extended period of events, “course” communicates a sense of organized progression or a path that unfolds over time.
Alternatives
If you want to avoid repetition or need a narrower focus, synonyms will vary based on the sense of “course” you mean. For education, “class,” “program,” or “module” capture instructional settings. In navigation or planning, “route,” “path,” or “direction” spotlight the physical or strategic movement. To describe a progression of events, “sequence,” “series,” or “span” can fit contexts like a story arc or timeline. For meals, “dish” or “stage” might substitute if you’re highlighting each serving. Meanwhile, phrases like “over time,” “throughout the process,” or “during the journey” can replace “over the course of.” By choosing a term that pinpoints academic instruction, movement, phases in a meal, or a stretch of time, you keep your language precise, reflecting the different layers of meaning “course” can carry.
Writing
In writing, “course” helps anchor a concept of progression or sequencing, whether describing academic curricula, shifting tactics, or the passage of weeks or months. In an academic or instructional text, “course” might refer to a formal class—“This course covers advanced topics in biology.” In a historical or narrative piece, you could say, “Over the course of the 19th century, industrialization transformed Europe,” highlighting a gradual process. For strategic discussions or planning documents, you might note how an organization changes course or maintains a set course. Vary your expressions with synonyms like “trajectory” or “path” to avoid overuse if your work frequently addresses direction or progress. By fleshing out the context—timeframes, lesson objectives, or reasons for altering course—you provide clarity and show the importance of each shift, stage, or plan in your text. Subtle differences in synonyms can help readers grasp whether you’re pointing to a formal study program, a physical or metaphorical direction, or an ongoing timeline of changes.
Casual Conversation
In everyday conversation, you might say “I’m taking a new cooking course,” if you’ve enrolled in a class, or “Let’s see how things go over the course of the month,” when discussing future plans. If referring to meals, you can mention “We had a three-course dinner” to highlight each part of the meal. Or you might say, “He changed course mid-conversation,” to show someone shifted topics or approaches quickly. To keep speech casual, you could swap in simpler phrases like “class,” “path,” or “throughout the month,” depending on meaning. Overall, “course” stays flexible in daily chats—use it to cover learning, a meal’s progression, or a sense of passage through time or ideas. If you sense repetition, synonyms like “track,” “direction,” or “run” might spice up your phrasing. Just provide enough context—people might wonder whether you’re talking about a lesson, a journey, or a long-duration plan otherwise.
Etymology
The term “course” stems from the Latin word “cursus,” meaning “a running, a journey, or a race,” derived from “currere,” meaning “to run.” Middle English adopted “course” through Old French (“cours”), expanding its scope to capture the concept of traveling in a set direction, moving through stages, or following a prescribed path. As education systems developed, “course” became shorthand for a structured set of lessons or studies—essentially an instructional route students ‘travel’ through. Meanwhile, in dining, “course” arrived at its modern meaning by referencing the sequence of dishes in a meal, each stage ‘running’ in an orderly progression. Whether charting a literal path, detailing academic steps, or describing a multi-stage meal, the modern usage retains that core sense of running or moving forward along a specific track, testifying to its deep linguistic root in the idea of progression.
