parade

[puh-reyd]

noun

1. a large public procession, usually including a marching band and often of a festive nature, held in honor of an anniversary, person, event, etc.

2. a military ceremony involving the formation and marching of troop units, often combined with saluting the lowering of the flag at the end of the day.

3. the assembly of troops for inspection or display.

4. a place where troops regularly assemble for inspection or display.

5. a continual passing by, as of people, objects, or events.

   the parade of pedestrians past the office; the parade of the seasons.

6. an ostentatious display.

   to make a parade of one's religious beliefs.

7. Chiefly British.

   1. a group or procession of promenaders.

   2. a promenade.

8. Fortification.,  the level space forming the interior or enclosed area of a fortification.

9. Fencing.,  a parry.

verb (used with object)

paraded, parading 

1. to walk up and down on or in.

2. to make parade of; display ostentatiously.

   Synonyms: flourish, flaunt, show
   Antonyms: conceal

3. to cause to march or proceed for display.

verb (used without object)

paraded, parading 

1. to march in a procession.

2. to promenade in a public place, especially in order to show off.

3. to assemble in military order for display.

4. to assume a false or misleading appearance.

   international pressure that parades as foreign aid.

parade

/ pəˈreɪd /

noun

1. an ordered, esp ceremonial, march, assembly, or procession, as of troops being reviewed

   on parade

2. Also called: parade ground. a place where military formations regularly assemble

3. a visible show or display

   to make a parade of one's grief

4. a public promenade or street of shops

5. a successive display of things or people

6. the interior area of a fortification

7. a parry in fencing

8. to hinder someone's enjoyment; upset someone's plans

9. 1. on display

   2. showing oneself off

verb

1. to walk or march, esp in a procession (through)

   to parade the streets

2. (tr) to exhibit or flaunt

   he was parading his medals

3. (tr) to cause to assemble in formation, as for a military parade

4. (intr) to walk about in a public place

Other Word Forms

• parader noun
• paradeful adjective
• paradeless adjective
• paradelike adjective
• paradingly adverb
• unparaded adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of parade¹

1650–60; < French, Middle French < Spanish parada a stop, stopping place, noun use of feminine of parado, past participle of parar to stop, end < Latin parāre to set. See compare, parry, -ade ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of parade¹

C17: from French: a making ready, a setting out, a boasting display; compare Italian parata, Spanish parada, all ultimately from Latin parāre to prepare

Idioms and Phrases

see hit parade; rain on one's parade.

Example Sentences

It turned into a parade, a dominant statement.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Last month, Kim appeared alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin at an elaborate military parade in Beijing.

Read more on Barron's

He looks out the window and says “There’s a parade, and a great princess is walking by in all her finery . . .”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

There hasn’t been a parade through lower Manhattan in their honor since 2009, an eternity for an organization that has famously established a standard where any outcome other than a title is considered a failure.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The final parade of “national” songs was also cleverly handled: The characters, now appropriately costumed, stepped into a large frame, in front of a throne-room background, to perform.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• brandish 
• demonstrate 
• flash 
• prance 
• strut 
• swagger 
• trot out