course of action
70
3.6
- noun
- We need to determine the best course of action to solve this problem.
- choose a course of action
- take a course of action
- determine a course of action
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Watch on YouTubeSo maybe the course of action is to confront your mum and go.
- So maybe the course of action is to confront your mum and go.
- You can choose a certain course of action.
- So they don't know what the right course of action would be.
- But for most people, that's not an advisable course of action.
- What's the what's the correct course of action?
- Most of the work is trying to stop people who are on a course of action towards committing suicide.
- So the obvious course of action was, hey guys, can you pack all this up and take it back?
- So we might even feel joy if we were expecting it, but we might feel fear and we might even start preparing some course of action to flee if that's what we're feeling.
- But then, then the next course of action obviously is to have a family, or at least I plan to.
- And so you sort of embark on this disciplined course of action in which you feel uncomfortable and it feels bad, but you keep doing it.
- So I think the best course of action for me is to write this bag off as a little bit of a spontaneous mistake and say goodbye.
- You have to be able to appraise arguments based on data, and you have to be able to choose between possible courses of action based on data.
Examples
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Not so long ago, North and South Korea adopted a similar course of action.
Academic text (1999) -
The only course of action is to change the route.
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But then, then the next course of action obviously is to have a family, or at least I plan to.
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We feel that it is the best course of action.
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We'll discuss our next course of action and get back to you.
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In the morning, she said, they would decide what course of action to take.
Fiction book (1995) -
What course of action do you recommend?
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In your estimation, is this our only course of action?
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Each is advocating a course of action which will have consequences, good or bad.
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Reallocation of military spending seemed the obvious course of action.
Synonyms
∞
3.7
A planned series of actions that shows what to do
∞
1.0
A set of steps arranged to reach a goal
∞
3.7
A plan to reach a goal, often used in business or games
688
3.7
A set of steps you follow in order to get a result
516
3.0
A planned action to reach a goal
458
3.5
A new plan to solve a problem or reach a goal
71
3.7
A set of actions that helps a team or person reach a goal
13
3.4
A clear set of steps to reach a goal
11
3.2
A set of planned actions to solve a problem or reach a goal
4
3.5
Planned short actions used to reach a specific goal
How Detailed
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a plan or series of actions chosen to achieve a particular goal' is directly and compositionally derived from 'course' (a connected sequence) + 'of' + 'action' (taking practical steps): literally a sequence or route of actions. This genitive/compositional pattern is common in English and across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents should be able to infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
The phrase course of action comes from the idea of course as a 'path' or 'route' you follow and action as what you do along it. So choosing a course of action is like picking the path you will follow to reach a goal.