course
Other forms: courses; coursing; coursed
The noun course can refer to a series of lectures, discussions, or other lessons in a particular subject. To graduate from high school, you have to take certain courses in English, social studies, math, and science. Naturally, you want to pass them!
The noun course can refer to a part of a meal. If you love chocolate, your favorite course will be dessert — it's a triple chocolate mousse! The noun course can also refer to an area laid out for a particular sport, as in a golf course or obstacle course. As a verb course can mean to move quickly over or through a certain path, especially some liquid, like when tears course down your cheeks at a sad movie. Don't confuse the spelling of course with coarse, which is an adjective meaning rough.
Definitions of course
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a connected series of events or actions or developments
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a mode of action“if you persist in that course you will surely fail”“once a nation is embarked on a course of action it becomes extremely difficult for any retraction to take place”synonyms: course of actiontypes:blind alley(figurative) a course of action that is unproductive and offers no hope of improvementcollision coursea course of action (following a given idea) that will lead to conflict if it continues unabatedambages(archaic) roundabout or mysterious ways of actionprimrose patha life of ease and pleasureSunna, Sunnah, hadith(Islam) the way of life prescribed as normative for Muslims on the basis of the teachings and practices of Muhammad and interpretations of the Koranwarpatha course leading to warfare or battletype of:actionsomething done (usually as opposed to something said)
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education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings“he took a course in basket weaving”synonyms: class, course of instruction, course of studytypes:adult educationa course (via lectures or correspondence) for adults who are not otherwise engaged in formal studyart classa class in which you learn to draw or paintchildbirth-preparation classa course that teaches pregnant women to use breathing and concentration and exercise techniques to use during laborcorrespondence coursea course offered (by mail) by a correspondence schoolcourse of lecturesa series of lectures dealing with a subjectdirected studya course of study that is supervised and controlled by a specialist in the subjectextension coursea course offered as part of an extension servicehome studya course of study carried out at home rather than in a classroomindustrial artsa course in the methods of using tools and machinery as taught in secondary schools and technical schoolspropaedeutic, propaedeuticsa course that provides an introduction to an art or science (or to more advanced study generally)refresher, refresher coursea course that reviews and updates a topic for those who have not kept abreast of developmentsrequired coursea course that all students are required to takeseminara course offered for a small group of advanced studentsworkshopa brief intensive course for a small group; emphasizes problem solvinglife classan art class using a live human modeltype of:didactics, education, educational activity, instruction, pedagogy, teachingthe activities of educating or instructing; activities that impart knowledge or skill
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a body of students who are taught togethertypes:master classa class (especially in music) given to talented students by an expertdiscussion section, sectiona small class of students who are part of a larger course but are taught separatelytype of:
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general line of orientation
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a line or route along which something travels or moves“the course of the river”types:collision coursea course of a moving object that will lead to a collision if it continues unchangedinside trackthe inner side of a curved racecourseroundthe course along which communications spreadstepsthe course along which a person has walked or is walking intraila track or mark left by something that has passedslotthe trail of an animal (especially a deer)spoorthe trail left by a person or an animal; what the hunter follows in pursuing gametype of:linea spatial location defined by a real or imaginary unidimensional extent
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facility consisting of a circumscribed area of land or water laid out for a sport“the course had only nine holes”“the course was less than a mile”types:cinder tracka racetrack paved with fine cindersdirt tracka racetrack that is not pavedspeedwaya racetrack for racing automobiles or motorcyclesvelodromea banked oval track for bicycle or motorcycle racingtype of:facility, installationa building or place that provides a particular service or is used for a particular industry
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move along, of liquidstypes:flushflow freelycirculatemove through a space, circuit or system, returning to the starting pointrun downmove downwardpourflow in a spurtgutterflow in small streamsventilatecirculate through and freshenspinstream in jets, of liquidsregurgitatepour or rush backtype of:movemove so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion
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move swiftly through or over“ships coursing the Atlantic”type of:cover, cross, cut across, cut through, get across, get over, pass over, track, traversetravel across or pass over
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part of a meal served at one time“she prepared a three course meal”types:appetiser, appetizer, starterfood or drink to stimulate the appetite (usually served before a meal or as the first course)platea main course served on a plateantipastoa course of appetizers in an Italian mealcanapean appetizer consisting usually of a thin slice of bread or toast spread with caviar or cheese or other savory foodcocktailan appetizer served as a first course at a mealhors d'oeuvrea dish served as an appetizer before the main mealambrosiaa dessert made of various fruits and often topped with shredded coconut (sometimes includes marshmallows)baked Alaskacake covered with ice cream and meringue browned quickly in an ovenblancmangesweet almond-flavored milk pudding thickened with gelatin or cornstarch; usually moldedcharlottea mold lined with cake or crumbs and filled with fruit or whipped cream or custarddumplingdessert made by baking fruit wrapped in pastryflana baked custard topped with caramelfrozen dessertany of various desserts prepared by freezingjunketdessert made of sweetened milk coagulated with rennetmoussea rich, frothy, creamy dessert made with whipped egg whites and heavy creampavlovaa dessert consisting of a meringue base or cup filled with fruit and whipped creampeach melbaice cream and peaches with a liqueurwhipa dessert made of sugar and stiffly beaten egg whites or cream and usually flavored with fruitpuddingany of various soft sweet desserts thickened usually with flour and baked or boiled or steamedtiramisuan Italian dessert consisting of layers of sponge cake soaked with coffee and brandy or liqueur layered with mascarpone cheese and topped with grated chocolatecruditesraw vegetables cut into bite-sized strips and served with a diptype of:aliment, alimentation, nourishment, nutriment, nutrition, sustenance, victualsa source of materials to nourish the body
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(construction) a layer of masonry“a course of bricks”synonyms: rowtypes:damp course, damp-proof coursea course of some impermeable material laid in the foundation walls of building near the ground to prevent dampness from rising into the buildingrow of bricksa course of bricks place next to each other (usually in a straight line)
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hunt with hounds
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as might be expected
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Vocabulary lists containing course
Make a Run for It: Cur, Curs
Need a crash course in words that derive from the Latin roots cur and curs, meaning "run"? This list will give you a run for your money!