procedure

[pruh-see-jer]

noun

1. an act or a manner of proceeding in any action or process; conduct.

   Synonyms: management

2. a particular course or mode of action.

   Synonyms: plan, method, operation

3. any given mode of conducting legal, parliamentary, or other business, especially litigation and judicial proceedings.

4. Computers.

   1. the sequence of actions or instructions to be followed in solving a problem or accomplishing a task.

   2. Also called subprogram. a group of statements that may be used at one or more points in a computer program.

procedure

/ prəˈsiːdʒə /

noun

1. a way of acting or progressing in a course of action, esp an established method

2. the established mode or form of conducting the business of a legislature, the enforcement of a legal right, etc

3. computing another name for subroutine

Other Word Forms

• procedurally adverb
• procedural adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of procedure¹

From the French word procédure, dating back to 1605–15. See proceed, -ure

Example Sentences

Prescriptive knowledge is about the “how”—the knowledge of things like recipes, drawings, instructions, procedures, and techniques.

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Briony Smith, curator at The Big Cat Sanctuary, said the procedure was a "complete success".

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Following concerns about unsafe practices in the aesthetics industry, the government is considering new legislation close loopholes and to crack down on "cowboy cosmetic procedures".

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Managers delivered a lecture on safety protocols and the importance of following proper procedure, particularly when working at heights.

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Though common in the U.S. and many parts of Europe, the pain-relief procedure is much rarer in Japan, where some believe that women who endure childbirth without pain-relief enjoy closer bonds with their children.

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Related Words

• action 
• agenda 
• conduct 
• form 
• measure 
• method 
• move 
• operation 
• plan 
• policy 
• practice 
• proceeding 
• program 
• scheme 
• step 
• strategy 
• transaction 

When To Use

What does procedure mean?

A procedure is a particular way of doing something, especially one that is usually repeated in the same way each time.This is how the word is used in the phrases standard procedure and follow procedure, as in It’s important to follow procedure in the event of an emergency.The word procedure can also refer to a particular course of action, as in The instructions list all the steps of the procedure. This is especially used in professional and technical contexts.In a legal context, the word refers to the specific way that proceedings need to be carried out according to the rules.In a medical context, procedure is used as a synonym for operation, as in I’m having a minor procedure done tomorrow.In computers and programming, a procedure is a series or instructions followed in order to complete some task, often as part of a program.Example: This is not proper procedure! Who’s in charge here?