define a course of action

USAGE SUMMARY

"define a course of action" is a correct and usable phrase in written English.
It means to establish or lay out a plan or path to achieve a specific goal or objectives. Example: "Before we can start the project, we need to define a course of action to ensure its success."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

For the most part, it doesn't define a course of action for your choreography.

The New York Times

"It's about whether domestic institutions can break free of individual political actors and define a course of action for themselves independently of politicians".

Vice

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

However, it was unclear to what extent such community meetings ultimately enabled the FSWs to proactively define a course of collective action.

Globalization and Health

Policy has been defined as, "a course of action or principle adopted or proposed by a government, party, business, or individual" [ 60]; science has been defined as "the state of knowing: knowledge as distinguished from ignorance or misunderstanding" [ 61].

BMC Public Health

A recommendation was defined as a course of action that was recommended by an expert or a committee as advisable, and included both cognitive (i.e. to think about something) and behavioural (i.e. to do something) recommendations.

BMC Health Services Research

He chooses new people, chooses who gets to do what, and he helps figure out a way to define a future course of action.

Huffington Post

Genocide was defined and the legal term along with a course of action was adopted by the United Nations in 1948.

Huffington Post

The dictionary defines sales as, "the action of persuading or influencing another to a course of action or to the acceptance of something".

Huffington Post

Self-efficacy was defined by Bandura, 35 in 1977, as confidence that one can successfully execute a course of action to produce a desired outcome in a given situation.

BMJ Open

Self-efficacy is defined as an individual's beliefs about his or her capabilities and levels of performance related to a course of action (Bandura 1997).

Large-scale Assessments in Education

What is clear, however, is that in defining climate change as a threat in his inaugural address, Obama has committed himself to a course of action that will only begin to take shape on Tuesday night.

The Guardian

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "define a course of action", ensure that the subsequent steps or details of the plan are clearly articulated to provide a comprehensive understanding.

Common error

Avoid defining a course of action without outlining specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals. A well-defined course of action should provide clear steps and expected outcomes.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "define a course of action" functions as a directive or descriptive phrase, often used to introduce or explain the process of establishing a plan. As Ludwig AI confirms, it indicates establishing a path towards achieving a specific goal. Examples from Ludwig show its use in both formal and informal contexts.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

Science

50%

News & Media

50%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "define a course of action" is a common phrase used to describe the process of establishing a plan to achieve a goal. Ludwig AI confirms its grammatical correctness and usability. Its function is directive or descriptive, and it's utilized across various registers, though more frequently in formal and professional contexts such as science and news. While alternatives like "establish a plan of action" or "determine a plan of action" exist, the phrase remains a clear and effective way to communicate the act of creating or setting out a strategic path. Remember to follow up with the steps in your plan to make it concrete and specific.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

establish a plan of action

This alternative replaces "define" with "establish", maintaining the core meaning of setting up a plan.

determine a plan of action

Using "determine" instead of "define" emphasizes the process of figuring out the plan.

decide on a plan of action

This option focuses on the decision-making aspect of choosing a course.

chart a course of action

Replaces "define" with "chart", suggesting mapping out a route.

develop a strategy

Shifting to "develop a strategy" highlights the creation of a comprehensive plan.

formulate a plan

Replacing with "formulate a plan" adds a slightly more formal tone, emphasizing careful planning.

outline a strategy

Focuses on creating a high-level overview of the plan.

set out a plan

Emphasizes the initiation of the plan.

design a strategy

Highlights the intentional design aspect of creating the plan.

lay out a plan of attack

This alternative suggests a more aggressive or proactive approach to planning.

FAQs

How can I use "define a course of action" in a sentence?

You can use "define a course of action" to describe the process of establishing a plan to achieve a specific goal. For example, "Before implementing the new marketing strategy, we need to define a course of action that aligns with our business objectives."

What phrases are similar to "define a course of action"?

Similar phrases include "establish a plan of action", "determine a plan of action", or "develop a strategy". The choice depends on the specific context and the nuance you want to convey.

Is it better to "define a course of action" or "identify a course of action"?

"Define a course of action" implies creating or establishing a plan, while "identify a course of action" suggests recognizing a pre-existing plan. The best choice depends on whether you are creating the plan or simply recognizing one that already exists.

What's the difference between "define a course of action" and "implement a course of action"?

"Define a course of action" refers to the planning stage, while "implement a course of action" refers to the execution stage. Defining comes before implementing; you first create the plan, then you put it into action.