- present participle of proceed.
proceeding
Americannoun
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proceedings
plural
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a particular action or course or manner of action.
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proceedings, a series of activities or events; happenings.
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the act of a person or thing that proceeds.
Our proceeding down the mountain was hindered by mud slides.
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proceedings, a record of the doings or transactions of a fraternal, academic, etc., society.
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Law. proceedings,
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the instituting or carrying on of an action at law.
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a legal step or measure.
to institute proceedings against a person.
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noun
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an act or course of action
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the institution of a legal action
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any step taken in a legal action
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(plural) the minutes of the meetings of a club, society, etc
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(plural) legal action; litigation
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(plural) the events of an occasion, meeting, etc
Usage
What are other ways to say proceeding?
The noun proceeding refers to a particular course or manner of action. The plural proceedings refers to a series of activities or events, or to a record of the doings or transactions of a social club or academic society. Do you know when to use proceedings instead of procedure or process? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of proceeding
late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; see origin at proceed, -ing 1
Explanation
The noun proceeding (often pluralized as proceedings) is used in legal settings to show something is happening, or moving forward: "During the legal proceedings the judge declared him mentally unbalanced." Most of the time, the noun proceeding is used in law to show that a sequence of actions have taken place, leading up to judgment day in court. If you move forward with legal proceedings, you might start by filing a lawsuit or a claim against someone. Outside of the law, the noun is also used to show the steps taken, that there is involvement with a process or venture, or that progress is being made: "He took the necessary proceedings to make sure everything was okay."
Vocabulary lists containing proceeding
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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The Crucible
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"The Landlady" by Roald Dahl
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
More than likely, Fidelity hired a firm to locate potential heirs or people connected to your former sister-in-law’s account or simply to verify her death before proceeding with the account.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
GSK said it had taken a hit totalling £1.3 billion after not proceeding further with camlipixant following final stage trials.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
Ships might start trying to sail north through the Suez Canal, though proceeding from there to Asia—where Saudi Arabia sells most of its oil—would then require sailing all the way around Africa.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
His attorney, Frank Perez, has denied any such arrangement, a position he reiterated again during Monday’s court proceeding.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
At this point, things stopped proceeding at such a leisurely pace.
From "Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures" by Kate DiCamillo
Hearn’s team had already asked the presiding judge to release transcripts from the grand jury proceedings, saying testimony from the government’s sole witness before the panel raises questions about the sufficiency of the evidence presented.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
His team's next move was to argue intense media attention meant a fair trial was impossible and the proceedings should be stopped.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026
The subsequent regulatory proceedings confirmed that Zeldin’s statement was false.
From Slate ● Aug. 2, 2026
Most journalists were sent to a nearby courtroom to watch proceedings on a large television screen, making more space for the affected families.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026
Royal Brougham was the master of ceremonies, and the proceedings were broadcast live on radio.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
