procedure

American  

[pruh-see-jer] / prəˈsi dʒər /

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 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

---

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

• procedural adjective
• procedurally adverb

Etymology

Origin of procedure

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

Example Sentences

Other measures in the plan include speeding up planning procedures, and pushing ahead with the digitisation and decarbonisation of the industry.

From Barron's

Several members are calling for modifying the organisation's decision-making procedures, which have long been limited by a rule requiring consensus among all members.

From Barron's

Last October, Secretary of State Shirley Weber wrote to Curtis, asking him to detail planned changes to voting procedures.

From Los Angeles Times

Det Supt Bell said: "We are told that if you are that dentist performing that procedure you are likely to recognise your own work, which would hopefully enable us to identify who this person is."

From BBC

If that procedure is to be replicated, a ceasefire would have to be declared to enable negotiators to fine-tune elements of the US-proposed draft.

From BBC

Related Words

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