COURSES Synonyms: 243 Similar and Opposite Words

courses 1 of 2

noun

plural of course

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

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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as in processes

a usually fixed or ordered series of actions or events leading to a result set out on the course that would lead to a college degree

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as in routes

the direction along which something or someone moves the river follows a southeasterly course to the ocean

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as in canals

an open man-made passageway for water the Erie Canal was replaced by a much larger course, the New York State Barge Canal

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courses

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of course

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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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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as in races

to proceed or move quickly racehorses coursing down the track

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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

Many of Georgia’s public universities have found success by offering online courses. —

Jason Armesto, AJC.com, 28 Mar. 2026 His books have been translated into twenty-seven languages, with over two million copies and courses sold. —

Big Think, 27 Mar. 2026 Any student with an outstanding balance of $1,000 for more than 30 days is barred from being admitted, readmitted or allowed to enroll in any online or in-person courses. —

Kathryn Muchnick, Louisville Courier Journal, 26 Mar. 2026 For more than two decades, the Idaho Digital Learning Alliance has provided online courses to help school districts fulfill new graduation requirements, give students opportunities for credit recovery and allow students in rural districts to take dual credit or other advanced courses. —

Becca Savransky, Idaho Statesman, 26 Mar. 2026 The decision bars introductory sociology from the state’s general-education catalog — the set of foundational courses all students must complete, regardless of major, across subjects such as math, science, humanities and social sciences. —

Garrett Shanley, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2026 Striking faculty were expected to return to work Wednesday morning, ending two school days of disarray on the Greenwich Village campus as substitute instructors and administrators temporarily taught courses, and some students joined their professors on the picket line. —

Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 25 Mar. 2026 Speaking in New York City on Tuesday, Mahama was referring to moves such as the dismantling of slavery exhibits, the restoration of Confederate statues, and the removal of Black history courses from school curricula, Reuters reported. —

Preeti Jha, semafor.com, 25 Mar. 2026 The Swiss star has seemed fatigued in recent weeks and does not relish the softer spring-like snow typical of World Cup courses in March. —

ABC News, 24 Mar. 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

All mission events are subject to change, to an even greater extent than ISS missions, because Artemis 2 is developing procedures and systems for the wider Artemis program.

— Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 28 Mar. 2026
As part of the legal fight over the ban, Anthropic also filed a complaint in an appellate court in Washington, DC, focusing on a law governing procedures for mitigating supply-chain risks in procurement.

— Bloomberg, Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2026