courses 1 of 2

Definition of coursesnext
plural of course
1
as in procedures
a way of acting or proceeding the president's usual course has been to obtain advice from several people and then make up his own mind

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Relevance
2
as in classes
a series of lectures on a subject a course on American history from the colonial period to the present

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3
4
as in routes
the direction along which something or someone moves the river follows a southeasterly course to the ocean

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5

courses

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of course
1
as in tracks
to go after or on the track of after coursing the conspirators for months, the federal agents closed in and made the arrests

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in traverses
to make one's way through, across, or over once the threat of terrorism became apparent, fighter jets began coursing that corridor on a daily basis

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3

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of courses
Noun
Britain’s universities are firing staff, cutting courses, and curtailing research over an intensifying financial shortfall. Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 29 May 2026 Students taking high school courses in middle school are more likely to reach higher level math, such as Advanced Placement calculus, or take several years of a world language, becoming more fluent, Talley said. Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2026 Paxton agrees to complete a series of actions, including doing community service, taking legal ethics courses, and paying nearly $300,000 in restitution. Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 28 May 2026 For comparison, Fluenz charges $2,698 (typically discounted to $548) for one year of access to all levels of its seven language courses. Jill Duffy, PC Magazine, 28 May 2026 Anthropic also offers additional courses through its Anthropic Academy. Gene Marks, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026 David Mineta, who came on last year as CEO of the Alum Rock Counseling Center, said both Alvarado and his father Norman Mineta charted courses and opened doors for others in Santa Clara County. Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 23 May 2026 State and local leaders provided input for high school courses that make the voting process understandable and show how local and state governments serve respective communities. Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2026 To fulfill their general education language requirement, the Vijums twins took American Sign Language and tackled other courses sitting across from each other in study rooms on campus, where whiteboards were their confidantes. Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 23 May 2026
Verb
But Open, Heaven also courses with youth’s great agony, the cruelty that learning to love should be inexorably followed by learning to grieve its undoing. Gabrielle Bellot, Literary Hub, 27 Feb. 2026 Such is the power of cachaça, the essential and irresistible Brazilian sugar cane spirit that courses through each round of tropical cocktails passed across the bar. Elazar Sontag, Washington Post, 26 Feb. 2026 More fundamentally, the Christian nationalism that courses through Project 2025 has been somewhat eclipsed by other priorities. David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 29 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for courses
Noun
  • The Environmental Protection Agency’s Risk Management Program, or RMP, is the main federal program designed to prevent hazardous chemical incidents and spell out emergency procedures.
    Evan Bush, NBC news, 30 May 2026
  • Brave, stubborn — and sassy Rylan, who has undergone many surgeries and procedures over the years, including close to 10 in the last two years, received a kidney transplant from his mom just last year.
    Talia McWright, Twin Cities, 29 May 2026
Noun
  • After all, how can someone who has hit 89 home runs across her college career — one short of the Bruins’ record — and helped one of softball’s most dynamic offensive teams check off a list of new NCAA and program records relate to the other sociology majors in her classes at UCLA?
    Liana Handler, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2026
  • There’s a dedicated kitchen for cooking classes, a craft and activity room as well as a pirate ship playground outside.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 June 2026
Noun
  • On May 21, Minister of State Chris Bryant told parliament that the documents confirmed that Andrew’s role was unpaid, with his expenses and travels having been approved through formal processes.
    Erin Vanderhoof, Vanity Fair, 2 June 2026
  • According to Microsoft, its quantum team used agentic AI to automate complex measurements, optimize fabrication processes, analyze decades of research data, and uncover previously unnoticed problems that affected device performance.
    Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 2 June 2026
Noun
  • Nepali climbers are now the ones overseeing the securing of the routes up the mountain, and the fixing of the rope lines that help clients navigate the most difficult sections.
    Helen Regan, CNN Money, 30 May 2026
  • The Fortress can be taken off the road, too, via an addition Extreme offroad Suspension system that can handle any unexpected routes, while the four-wheel drive can tackle mud, snow, rocks, in addition to being a statement-making daily driver.
    Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 30 May 2026
Noun
  • They are typically found in shallow ponds, swamps, canals, reservoirs, lakes and rivers.
    Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 28 May 2026
  • These are fast disappearing, however, as humans drain them for development, dredge canals in them for the oil and gas industry and construct river levees, depriving them of the sediments that stop them being submerged.
    Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 25 May 2026
Verb
  • Across the railway tracks again, Gertrud walking next to him, Ursula and her sister trailing behind.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 June 2026
  • Today, Guinness World Records tracks achievements ranging from the world's tallest living man, Sultan Kösen, to highly specific accomplishments such as identifying Taylor Swift songs in under a minute.
    Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 3 June 2026
Verb
  • Maps show the 900 block is five lanes wide and traverses a heavily commercial strip in north Washington, including multiple motels, stores and restaurants.
    Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 4 June 2026
  • The full route connects Chicago and the San Francisco Bay Area over a 51-hour journey, but many travelers do a portion that connects Denver with San Francisco on a route that traverses the Rockies.
    Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 4 June 2026
Verb
  • Its most recent 54th run was record-breaking, the biggest marathon in history, with 132 countries represented, 59,226 finishers and by far the highest number of spectators in every neighborhood who supported and cheered runners on a route that races through all five boroughs.
    Laura Manske, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
  • What Wolff came back with was the idea to take F1 Academy from a standalone series to one that races alongside F1.
    Danielle McNally, InStyle, 28 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Courses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/courses. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.

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