progress
Americannoun
-
progress
plural
-
a movement toward a goal or to a further or higher stage.
the progress of a student toward a degree.
- Synonyms:
- progression, advance
- Antonyms:
- regression
-
developmental activity in science, technology, etc., especially with reference to the commercial opportunities created thereby or to the promotion of the material well-being of the public through the goods, techniques, or facilities created.
-
advancement in general.
-
growth or development; continuous improvement.
He shows progress in his muscular coordination.
- Synonyms:
- betterment, increase
-
the development of an individual or society in a direction considered more beneficial than and superior to the previous level.
-
Biology. increasing differentiation and perfection in the course of ontogeny or phylogeny.
-
forward or onward movement.
the progress of the planets.
-
the forward course of action, events, time, etc.
-
an official journey or tour, as by a sovereign or dignitary.
verb (used without object)
-
progresses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
progressed,
past participle, past
-
progressing
present participle
-
to go forward or onward in space or time.
The wagon train progressed through the valley. As the play progressed, the leading man grew more inaudible.
-
to grow or develop, as in complexity, scope, or severity; advance.
Are you progressing in your piano studies? The disease progressed slowly.
- Antonyms:
- regress
idioms
noun
-
movement forwards, esp towards a place or objective
-
satisfactory development, growth, or advance
she is making progress in maths
-
advance towards completion, maturity, or perfection
the steady onward march of progress
-
(modifier) of or relating to progress
a progress report
-
biology increasing complexity, adaptation, etc, during the development of an individual or evolution of a group
-
a stately royal journey
-
taking place; under way
verb
-
(intr) to move forwards or onwards, as towards a place or objective
-
to move towards or bring nearer to completion, maturity, or perfection
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
progresssimple
-
progressessimple
-
have progressedperfect
-
has progressedperfect
-
am progressingprogressive
-
are progressingprogressive
-
is progressingprogressive
-
have been progressingperfect progressive
-
has been progressingperfect progressive
Past
-
progressedsimple
-
had progressedperfect
-
was progressingprogressive
-
were progressingprogressive
-
had been progressingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of progress
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English progresse (noun), from Latin prōgressus “a going forward,” equivalent to prōgred-, stem of prōgredī “to advance” ( prō- “advancing, projecting forward” + -gredī, combining form of gradī “to step”; see pro- 1, grade) + -tus suffix of verb action
Explanation
The process of advancement and the way things move in the positive direction of improvement is called progress. If you got a B on your last test and a B+ on this one, that's progress. If you're moving toward a goal, you're making progress too. On a long trip, it feels like you're barely making progress, but every hour you've driven another 60 miles towards your destination. Or, the news reported recent progress in peace talks between the two feuding nations. Have you ever heard someone say that you can't stop progress? That means that things keep advancing and getting more complicated. Place the accent on the second syllable if you use it as a verb. Let's progress to the next stage.
Vocabulary lists containing progress
UCPS 6th Grade Roots List #1
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"The Fun They Had"
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Business, List 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
However, previous research has often paid less attention to how different immune cell populations change over time as diabetic wounds progress through different stages of healing.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 10, 2026
The State Department said that was meant to give the court's member states time to show "meaningful progress" toward addressing US concerns.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
"Firmus will now pursue capital from the private markets and consider alternative public and private market options. We will provide additional information to shareholders as those options progress," the company said.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
“This week was indicative of some restiveness and a desire among the base to see concrete policy for Palestinian liberation and quicker progress on some policing promises,” said Gordillo.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Duane grunted and moaned, and just when he thought he was making some progress in digging his cave, he came up against a sturdy wall of snow buried within the snow.
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
“It begins as fight choreography but as it progresses, it starts to get more expressionistic,” says Jeff Kuperman.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
“That doesn’t match up with people’s actual spending patterns,” he said, since people typically have variable needs and wants as retirement progresses.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026
As the film progresses, Herzog intimately considers humanity’s relationship to the insurmountable.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
The fuels market has become considerably tighter as the war progresses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
As the day progresses, I can’t help but feel that Alexander is the kind of person I try to be.
From "Every Day" by David Levithan
How has the company progressed in that time?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
As reionization progressed, ultraviolet light was able to travel more freely through space, helping bring the universe's cosmic "dark ages" to an end.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026
He progressed through the ranks playing for Bousports Academy in the town of Thiadiaye before joining Amitie Football Club in the city of Thies.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
That process started in the late 2010s and progressed into 2023.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026
Watching for resistance, alert with alarums, we progressed past silent residences.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
Common treatments, including over-the-counter medications and steroid injections, may reduce symptoms for a time, but they do not prevent the underlying joint damage from progressing.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026
The stiffest competition comes on the wing, where the Lakers lauded their depth between offseason additions Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton, Matisse Thybulle and Williams, rookie Cameron Carr and progressing second-year forward Adou Thiero.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026
Eight such projects are progressing through the Interior Department’s pipeline, according to its Bureau of Land Management.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
AI companies expressed support for slowing the development of their cutting-edge models earlier this month, citing worries that it’s progressing at a rate faster than what humans can safely control.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
Keeth’s love for the sport was genuine, and he saw how invested I was in progressing.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
