Showing results for "proceeding"

• present participle of proceed.

proceeding

American  

[pruh-see-ding] / prəˈsi dɪŋ /

noun

• proceedings
  plural

1. a particular action or course or manner of action.

2. proceedings, a series of activities or events; happenings.

3. the act of a person or thing that proceeds.

   Our proceeding down the mountain was hindered by mud slides.

4. proceedings, a record of the doings or transactions of a fraternal, academic, etc., society.

5. Law. proceedings,

   1. the instituting or carrying on of an action at law.

   2. a legal step or measure.

      to institute proceedings against a person.

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proceeding British  

/ prəˈsiːdɪŋ /

noun

1. an act or course of action

2. 1. the institution of a legal action

   2. any step taken in a legal action

3. (plural) the minutes of the meetings of a club, society, etc

4. (plural) legal action; litigation

5. (plural) the events of an occasion, meeting, etc

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Usage

What are other ways to say proceeding?

The noun proceeding refers to a particular course or manner of action. The plural proceedings refers to a series of activities or events, or to a record of the doings or transactions of a social club or academic society. Do you know when to use proceedings instead of procedure or process? Find out on Thesaurus.com. 

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• proceedings
  plural

Etymology

Origin of proceeding

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; see origin at proceed, -ing ¹

Explanation

The noun proceeding (often pluralized as proceedings) is used in legal settings to show something is happening, or moving forward: "During the legal proceedings the judge declared him mentally unbalanced." Most of the time, the noun proceeding is used in law to show that a sequence of actions have taken place, leading up to judgment day in court. If you move forward with legal proceedings, you might start by filing a lawsuit or a claim against someone. Outside of the law, the noun is also used to show the steps taken, that there is involvement with a process or venture, or that progress is being made: "He took the necessary proceedings to make sure everything was okay."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

proceeding proceedings

Everton's move for Folarin Balogun collapsed after the player decided against proceeding with a transfer.

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026

Democratic state Sen. César Blanco, whose district includes the area, told the Tribune after the meeting that Scott acknowledged a need to hear input from locals before proceeding.

From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026

"The police investigation is proceeding at full speed," police added in their statement on Saturday.

From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026

Companies are waiting for transport solutions from governments, with Swtizerland proceeding only slowly, he says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

By proceeding systematically in this manner, the police are able to engage in an extremely high volume of searches.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

But their proceedings displayed a certain lack of seriousness about tackling the ultimate cause.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

In a statement shared after the court proceedings, the Kirk family said the judge's decision "marks an important step" in their "pursuit of justice".

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

A couple of officers — who have seen people flock to the courthouse for proceedings involving Vanessa Bryant and former L.A.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

However, the development could prolong legal proceedings and delay IHH’s mandatory takeover offer for an additional 26% of Fortis Healthcare, he says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

Mr. Justice Wargrave took charge of the proceedings.

From "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie

Related Words

• action
• course of action
• exercise
• experiment
• incident
• measure
• operation
• procedure
• process
• transaction