procedure

American  

[pruh-see-jer] / prəˈsi dʒər /

noun

• procedures
  plural

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.

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procedure British  

/ 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

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Usage

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?

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• procedural
  adjective
• procedurally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• procedures
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of procedure

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

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Explanation

A procedure is a tried and true process or method used to accomplish a particular task. Using sharp metal picks, dentists scrape the plaque from their patients’ teeth. While effective, it’s a procedure most people despise. The word procedure is often used in the fields of medicine and law, sometimes in combination with other words, as in "surgical procedure" or "legal procedure." A "Parliamentary procedure" is the set of rules that you follow at a meeting of a club or some other organization (not necessarily a House of Parliament). Procedure is also related to the word procedural, which is sometimes used a term for a genre of television drama in which the plot revolves around a technical procedure, like the solving of a police case.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

procedure procedures

The bankruptcy procedure "is part of BHV's relaunch, not its failure," the company said, adding that the landmark store opposite Paris City Hall that employs 700 people will remain open.

From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026

The trust has also acknowledged that, following the withdrawal of emergency general surgery from Daisy Hill in 2024, maternity services introduced a risk-stratification standard operating procedure to support the safe delivery of care.

From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026

When the ship docked in Barentsburg on Sept. 1, his team boarded to conduct a routine border-control procedure.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026

According to a Disneyland spokesperson, the park temporarily closed some areas due to weather impacts, which is standard operating procedure during heavy rain.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2026

Many a time my husband stood aside unable to face the fray: if I had not reproached him his distaste of the whole procedure would have led him to starvation.

From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya

The total number of procedures also appears to be on the rise.

From Slate ● Oct. 27, 2026

The open microfluidic platform fits into standard multi-well plates, allowing it to be incorporated into existing laboratory procedures for cell culture and imaging.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026

Six Flags is also hiring independent engineers and ride-inspection professionals to review safety procedures across all its rides, Reilly said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026

Gen. Rob Bonta held dueling news conferences Thursday, with each touting their efforts to crack down on medical providers accused of needless surgical procedures, sham addiction treatment program, bogus hospice care and other alleged schemes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

Gone, too, were various procedures which might be suspected of being magical, including a lengthy discussion of amulets.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

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Related Words

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

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