progression

American  

[pruh-gresh-uhn] / prəˈgrɛʃ ən /

noun

1. the act of progressing; forward or onward movement.

2. a passing successively from one member of a series to the next; succession; sequence.

3. Mathematics. a succession of quantities in which there is a constant relation between each member and the one succeeding it.

4. Music. the manner in which chords or melodic tones follow one another; a succession of chords or tones.

5. Astrology. any of a variety of methods of comparing the natal chart to subsequent planetary positions in order to establish an optimum time to accomplish things or to establish the probable time an event occurred or will occur.

---

progression British  

/ prəˈɡrɛʃən /

noun

1. the act of progressing; advancement

2. the act or an instance of moving from one thing or unit in a sequence to the next

3. maths a sequence of numbers in which each term differs from the succeeding term by a constant relation See also arithmetic progression geometric progression harmonic progression

4. music movement, esp of a logical kind, from one note to the next ( melodic progression ) or from one chord to the next ( harmonic progression )

5. astrology one of several calculations, based on the movement of the planets, from which it is supposed that one can find the expected developments in a person's birth chart and the probable trends of circumstances for a year in his life

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• progressional
  adjective
• progressionally
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of progression

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin prōgressiōn-, stem of prōgressiō “advancement, forward movement”; equivalent to progress + -ion

Explanation

A progression is a series that advances in a logical and predictable pattern. In mathematics, for example, the series 2, 4, 6, 8 is an arithmetic progression. If asked to give the next number, most people would reply 10. A movement forward, especially one that advances toward some achievement, is called a progression. When you get your learner's permit, it's a step in the natural progression from child to responsible adult — although you may see it as part of your progression toward freedom. The progression from permit to driver's license includes a few more steps, like highway driving and learning how to parallel park your dad's enormous car.

Example Sentences

Progression is engaging in challenges that expand our future capacity—physically, behaviorally and mentally.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026

More than 147,000 candidates will receive their marks for Nationals, Highers, Advanced Highers and Skills for Work Awards, as well as National Progression Awards and National Certificates.

From BBC • Aug. 4, 2025

"Progression from MCI to dementia appears to be, at least partially, mediated by cardiovascular risk factors and the presence of multiple comorbidities," Providencia said.

From Science Daily • Oct. 25, 2023

Progression is finding yourself in the mountains at a spot you couldn’t have gotten to a moment sooner because you were lacking the knowledge to be there.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 3, 2022

Page 178 Progression, as in walking or traveling, is represented by means of a forward undulatory movement of the outstretched arm and hand, palm downward, in a horizontal plane.

From Unwritten Literature of Hawaii The Sacred Songs of the Hula by Emerson, Nathaniel Bright

Related Words

• advancement
• breakthrough
• evolution