progress

American  

[prog-res, -ruhs, proh-gres, pruh-gres] / ˈprɒg rɛs, -rəs, ˈproʊ grɛs, prəˈgrɛs /

noun

• progress
  plural

1. 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

2. 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.

3. advancement in general.

4. growth or development; continuous improvement.

   He shows progress in his muscular coordination.

   Synonyms:

   betterment, increase

5. the development of an individual or society in a direction considered more beneficial than and superior to the previous level.

6. Biology. increasing differentiation and perfection in the course of ontogeny or phylogeny.

7. forward or onward movement.

   the progress of the planets.

8. the forward course of action, events, time, etc.

9. an official journey or tour, as by a sovereign or dignitary.

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verb (used without object)

• progresses,
  present (3rd person singular)
• progressed,
  past participle,  past
• progressing
  present participle

1. 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.

2. to grow or develop, as in complexity, scope, or severity; advance.

   Are you progressing in your piano studies? The disease progressed slowly.

   Synonyms:

   increase, grow, improve, develop, proceed

   Antonyms:

   regress

idioms

1. in progress, going on; under way; being done; happening.

   The meeting was already in progress.

progress British  

noun

1. movement forwards, esp towards a place or objective

2. satisfactory development, growth, or advance

   she is making progress in maths

3. advance towards completion, maturity, or perfection

   the steady onward march of progress

4. (modifier) of or relating to progress

   a progress report

5. biology increasing complexity, adaptation, etc, during the development of an individual or evolution of a group

6. a stately royal journey

7. taking place; under way

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verb

1. (intr) to move forwards or onwards, as towards a place or objective

2. to move towards or bring nearer to completion, maturity, or perfection

progress More Idioms  

1. see in progress.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unprogressed
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• progress
  plural

Participles

• progressing
  present
• progressed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• progress
  simple
• progresses
  simple
• have progressed
  perfect
• has progressed
  perfect
• am progressing
  progressive
• are progressing
  progressive
• is progressing
  progressive
• have been progressing
  perfect progressive
• has been progressing
  perfect progressive

Past

• progressed
  simple
• had progressed
  perfect
• was progressing
  progressive
• were progressing
  progressive
• had been progressing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will progress
  simple
• will have progressed
  perfect
• will be progressing
  progressive
• will have been progressing
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

progress progresses progressed progressing

The new dispute over the pilots highlights the lack of progress amid a deepening economic standoff.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

You can then progress to standing on a folded towel or foam pad.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026

He’s not a finished product, but the signs of progress and what he can do with his body on a football field have everyone predicting big days ahead.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

Forgoing the Commonwealth Games to prioritise her European title defence, Hodgkinson was further encouraged by her progress on a Portugal training camp before travelling to Birmingham.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

For their part, his opponents were impressed with his tenacity and clear signs of progress.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Iraola has spoken about the need for more control while retaining the chaos that makes his team's attacks so effective, so he may decide to leave additional players behind the ball as the season progresses.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

U.S. natural gas futures settled lower for a fourth consecutive session as the summer progresses with solid production and inventories weighing against weather-driven demand.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

"Weather conditions are expected to deteriorate as the day progresses, so these hours are being used to battle the flames," she said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026

Typically lenders release installments of the insurance funds as construction progresses.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

Similar to other sequenced learning approaches, such as Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development or scaffolding, Gordon’s approach relies on a gradual increase in skill level difficulty as the student progresses.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

And Ohtani has progressed to long toss, although manager Dave Roberts said he’s not sure when he’ll move to throwing bullpens.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

The work eventually progressed toward publication and possible industrial use.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026

Bloomberg News said in June that Meta had cut Manus off from its internal systems as the divorce progressed.

From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026

But as the game progressed and changes were made - Iraola made nine against Leeds and 11 against Monaco - Liverpool have looked like a different team and certainly not for the better.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

Sumerian scribes had progressed to inscribing on clay tablets with sharpened reeds.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

A teenager already progressing through an English academy presents no equivalent immigration obstacle.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

The company’s sell-down at Simberi injects enough cash to fund the sulfide expansion while progressing the Touqyoy and 15-Mile Hub growth projects, the analysts say.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

Assembly and integration are progressing as Intuitive Machines works toward the broader goal of providing regular cargo and science deliveries to the Moon.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026

Rather than progressing toward one standard body form or sensory system, separate snake lineages developed adaptations suited to different ecological settings.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 5, 2026

Shostakovich edged back from his previous gloom and dissonance, composing a more 'traditional’-style symphony of four contrasting movements, progressing in them from grim, layered anxiety in the first to a triumphant conclusion in the fourth.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

Related Words

• advance
• breakthrough
• development
• evolution
• growth
• headway
• improvement
• increase
• momentum
• movement
• pace
• process
• rise
• stride