course
A1Neutral (used across all registers)
Definition
Meaning
A route, path, or direction followed, or the forward movement along it; a set series of educational lessons or subjects.
A series of actions or events leading to a particular result; the development or progress of something over time; a part of a meal served at one time; a designated area of land or water for a specific purpose (e.g., golf course, racecourse).
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
A highly polysemous word with senses spanning concrete paths, temporal sequences, and educational units. The specific meaning is almost entirely dependent on the context and collocating words.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
In education, BrE uses 'course' for a complete programme of study (e.g., 'a three-year history course'), while AmE can use 'course' for an individual class/module (e.g., 'I'm taking five courses this semester'), though 'class' is also common. BrE uses 'course' for the parts of a meal; AmE uses 'entree' for main course, which can cause confusion.
Connotations
In the phrase 'of course', it's slightly more emphatic and common in BrE as a standalone affirmative response. In golf/racing contexts, identical connotations.
Frequency
Equally high frequency in both varieties, but the distribution across specific senses may vary slightly with educational terminology.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
VERB + course: take a course, run a course, complete a course, teach a coursecourse + VERB: course through (blood coursed through his veins)ADJ + course: correspondence course, refresher course, compulsory course, bumpy courseVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “run its course”
- “stay the course”
- “on course for”
- “off course”
- “in the course of”
- “par for the course”
- “course of true love never did run smooth”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Refers to training programmes, strategic direction ('our current course'), or the progression of a project.
Academic
Primarily an educational unit or programme; also used in phrases like 'in the course of the experiment'.
Everyday
Common for meals, direction ('changed course'), education, and golf.
Technical
In medicine: 'course of antibiotics'. In navigation: plotted direction. In construction: a layer of bricks or stones.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- Tears began to course down her cheeks.
- The blood coursed through his veins.
American English
- Adrenaline coursed through her body.
- Streams coursed down the mountain after the storm.
adverb
British English
- N/A - 'Course' is not used as an adverb. (Informal 'of course' is an adverbial phrase).
American English
- N/A - 'Course' is not used as an adverb. (Informal 'of course' is an adverbial phrase).
adjective
British English
- N/A - 'Course' is not standardly used as an adjective.
American English
- N/A - 'Course' is not standardly used as an adjective.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I'm taking an English course.
- The main course was chicken and potatoes.
- Of course you can come!
- We changed course to avoid the storm.
- She's doing a course in business management.
- The illness must run its course.
- The university offers a wide range of postgraduate courses.
- In the course of the investigation, new evidence emerged.
- They set a course for the nearest port.
- His reckless actions put us on a collision course with disaster.
- The legal course of action open to us is limited.
- The river had coursed through the valley for millennia.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a GOLF COURSE. You follow a set PATH (course) to complete it, which takes a SERIES (course) of holes, and afterwards you eat a three-COURSE meal.
Conceptual Metaphor
LIFE IS A JOURNEY / TIME IS MOTION ALONG A PATH (e.g., 'in the course of history', 'let things run their course').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Not translating 'of course' as 'конечно' in every instance; sometimes it means 'naturally' or 'as part of'.
- Confusing 'course' (educational) with Russian 'курс', which can also mean 'exchange rate' or 'political course'.
- Using 'course' for a single lecture/session (like Russian 'курс лекций') can sound odd; 'lecture' or 'class' is better.
Common Mistakes
- *'I study a course' (Use: I'm taking/doing a course).
- *'We had a three-courses meal' (Use: a three-course meal).
- Confusing 'coarse' (rough) with 'course'.
- Using 'course' for a very short, one-off training (seminar/workshop might be better).
Practice
Quiz
In the sentence 'Events took their inevitable course', what is the closest meaning of 'course'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
A 'lesson' is a single session of instruction. A 'class' can be a group of students or a single meeting/lesson. A 'course' is a structured series of lessons/classes on a subject over a period of time.
Yes, but it's more literary/formal. It means to move or flow swiftly, especially a liquid (e.g., 'blood coursed through his veins').
In AmE, 'entree' means the main course. In BrE and much of the world, 'entree' means a starter/appetizer. This is a major translation trap. In a US restaurant, 'main course' is also perfectly understood.
Not always. While often used for polite agreement, it can sound impatient or dismissive if used to state something obvious (e.g., 'Of course it's raining, I didn't bring an umbrella!'). Tone and context are key.
Collections
Part of a collection
Education
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