course noun
1 complete series of lessons/studies
ADJ. full-time, part-time | one-year, two-year, etc. | day, evening | crash, intensive | advanced, intermediate, etc. | foundation, introductory | refresher | academic | graduate, postgraduate, undergraduate | degree, diploma, honours a joint honours course in French and Russian | correspondence, external, sandwich | induction | training, vocational
VERB + COURSE do, take He took a crash course in Italian. | enrol on, join, sign up for | withdraw from She withdrew from the course because of illness. | teach | offer, run The school runs courses all year round. | complete It took him five years to complete the course. | pass | fail
COURSE + VERB run The course runs from 10?15 May.
PREP. ~ in a course in applied linguistics | ~ on a course on the development of capitalism
2 route/direction
VERB + COURSE alter, change The boat altered course during the storm. | chart, plot, set We set course for Malta. | be blown off | follow The path follows the course of the river.
PREP. off ~ We're a long way off course | on ~ We're on course for our destination.
PHRASES on a collision course The two planes were on a collision course.
3 (also course of action)
ADJ. best, better
VERB + COURSE adopt, follow, pursue, take It was the best course of action to take in the circumstances.
COURSE + VERB be open to sb It was the only course open to him.
4 development of sth over a period of time
VERB + COURSE change an event that changed the course of his life | follow, run, take Her career followed a similar course to her sister's. We could do nothing but let the disease run its course.
PREP. during the ~ of during the course of the war | in the ~ of In the course of time, I began to understand.
PHRASES the course of history This was an event that changed the course of history. | in due course (= at the appropriate time; eventually), in the normal/ordinary course of events In the normal course of events, you should get a reply by Monday. | let nature take its course When the dog responded so badly to the treatment, we decided to let nature take its course (= stop treating it and let it die naturally).
5 part of a meal
ADJ. main | first, second, etc.
PREP. for a/the ~ We had chicken for our main course.
PHRASES a two-/three-course, etc. meal
6 in sport/a race
ADJ. golf, obstacle, race
VERB + COURSE complete Only ten yachts completed the course.
7 series of medical treatments
VERB + COURSE give sb, put sb on She's been put on a course of injections. | prescribe (sb) | take
PREP. ~ of a course of antibiotics
You can also check other dicts: course (English, 中文解释 ), wordnet sense, Collins Definition