of course
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Naturally ; as would be expected. A matter of course is something that belongs to ordinary procedure, or that is customary.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Examples
Of course I will go to France sometime, it's just that I don't know when.Dĩ nhiên là tôi sẽ đi Pháp vào một ngày nào đó, chỉ là chưa biết là khi nào thôi.
You can do whatever you want to do, of course.Tất nhiên, bạn có thể làm bất cứ thứ gì mà bạn muốn.
Tatoeba sentence #2561949 (CC BY 2.0 FR, tatoeba.org, retrieved 2026-07-31)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “of course” mean?
Naturally ; as would be expected. A matter of course is something that belongs to ordinary procedure, or that is customary.
Is “of course” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.