par for the course

UK/ˈpɑː fə ðə ˈkɔːs/US/ˈpɑɹ fɚ ðə ˈkɔɹs/US/-ˈkɔəɹs/

adjective

Normal; common; to be expected. (Often connotes something undesirable).

“It took a long time to finish, but that's par for the course on a project like this.”

Similar
predictabletypicalunsurprisingusualaveragebasicbog-standardcommon
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Meanings

adjectivepar for the course (not generally comparable, comparative more par for the course, superlative most par for the course)

comparative more par for the course · superlative most par for the course · alternative course par

  1. idiomaticnot comparableusuallyNormal; common; to be expected. (Often connotes something undesirable).

    It took a long time to finish, but that's par for the course on a project like this.

    2 more examples

    […] Nigella Lawson and Ralph Fiennes, we were told, might pop by later. The Gopniks smiled calmly: this was all par for the course for them.

    2017 December 8, Hadley Freeman, “Adam Gopnik: ‘You’re waltzing along and suddenly you’re portrayed as a monster of privilege’”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 15 Aug 2018

    The extra scrutiny was a sign of the times, but having never IPO-ed a company before, most of the executive team took it as par for the course.

    2022, Jimmy Soni, The Founders: The Story of Paypal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN

    Synonyms: predictable, typical, unsurprising, usual, average, basic, bog-standard, common

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveNormal; common; to be expected. (Often connotes something undesirable).

Similar
predictabletypicalunsurprisingusualaveragebasicbog-standardcommoncommon as bumscommon as dirtcommon as muckcommon as pig tracksdime a dozeneverydayfrequentgeneralhabitualnonrarepedestrian
Also see
a dime a dozenbog-standardcommoncommon as bumscommon as dirtcommon as muckcommon as pig trackseverydayfrequentgeneralhabitualnonrarenormalpedestrianquotidianroutinaryroutineten a pennytwo a pennyworkaday

Origin

Originally a phrase used in golf. Ironically, completing a golf course in par (or even net par) is actually unusually good for most golfers and is not a typical result.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Polish typowy, na porządku dziennym
  • typowynormal; common; to be expected
  • na porządku dziennymnormal; common; to be expected
  • do przewidzenianormal; common; to be expected
  • normalkanormal; common; to be expected
  • na miejscunormal; common; to be expected
Russian в поря́дке веще́й
  • в поря́дке веще́й (v porjádke veščéj)normal; common; to be expected
Spanish de esperar, normal
  • de esperarnormal; common; to be expected
  • normalnormal; common; to be expected
  • comúnnormal; common; to be expected
Cite this entry
APA

par for the course. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/par%20for%20the%20course

MLA

“par for the course.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/par%20for%20the%20course. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “par for the course,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/par%20for%20the%20course.

Source: par for the course on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.