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.

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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

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Other Word 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

"Neutrophil elevation is happening before any evidence of cognitive decline, which makes a compelling case for studying whether neutrophils are actively contributing to disease progression."

From Science Daily • Apr. 22, 2026

“The contrast between the slow grind lower in March and the subsequent breakneck rally highlights the U.S. equity market’s pronounced right-tail asymmetry and its longer-term progression toward a more bubble-like regime,” they said.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 22, 2026

These artists were also serious pianists, attuned, no matter which instrument they were using, to the qualities of rhythm, pattern and progression.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026

"These and future studies will show whether neutrophils are just a marker of Alzheimer's disease or are actively causing dementia progression -- in which case, they could make a compelling therapeutic target," said Dr. Ramos-Cejudo.

From Science Daily • Apr. 22, 2026

Improvisation requires an understanding of the chord progression.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

Related Words

• advancement
• breakthrough
• evolution