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

There will be clinics for players with disabilities alongside coaching courses and referee sessions to help get more people involved in the sport. —

Lisa Hughes, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2026 The channels consisted of livestream VODs and free courses created by me to help empower young men to be the best versions of themselves. —

Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2026 The University of Florida College of Medicine has a certificate program in medical anatomy and physiology, which provides the medical courses lacking in many Master of Nursing NP programs. —

Dawn Zuidgeest-Craft, STAT, 24 Apr. 2026 All courses will be offered directly on Burleson’s high school campuses. —

Samuel O’Neal 24, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Apr. 2026 My first bite of Choctaw cornbread, drizzled with wild honey, sets the stage, and the courses just keep coming. —

Carrie Honaker, Bon Appetit Magazine, 23 Apr. 2026 The menu highlights Brazilian ingredients using French techniques, unfolding over eight courses built around just a few ingredients (no more than five, Troisgros says), all sourced locally from small regional producers, including farmer Fátima, who has worked with Troisgros for decades. —

Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026 Gourmet on Tour offers residential cooking courses — typically in France and Italy and lasting about a week—that include daily cooking classes as well as demonstrations, gourmet meals, and visits to local markets and producers. —

Beth Luberecki, USA Today, 11 Apr. 2026 The courses wind through open fields, climb hills and test both endurance and precision. —

Michael Howes, Baltimore Sun, 11 Apr. 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

Dozens of major health insurers, including Cigna, Aetna and United Healthcare, last year pledged to make fewer medical procedures require pre-authorization and to speed up the review process.

— Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 25 Apr. 2026
Walker, however, agreed with the majority that the president cannot deport migrants to countries where they will be persecuted or strip them of mandatory procedures that protect against their removal.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 25 Apr. 2026