proceeding

[pruh-see-ding]

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noun

a particular action or course or manner of action.

proceedings, a series of activities or events; happenings.

the act of a person or thing that proceeds: Our proceeding down the mountain was hindered by mud slides.

proceedings, a record of the doings or transactions of a fraternal, academic, etc., society.

proceedings, Law.

the instituting or carrying on of an action at law.
a legal step or measure: to institute proceedings against a person.

Origin of proceeding

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; see origin at proceed, -ing¹

Synonyms for proceeding

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1, 2, 4. See process.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for proceedings

business, dealings, doings, annals, archives, minutes, affairs, matters

Examples from the Web for proceedings

Contemporary Examples of proceedings

At night jineteras stalk the promenade in search of tourists while a trumpet from a bench serenades the proceedings.
The Life and Hard Times Of The Family A Cuban Defector Left Behind
Brin-Jonathan Butler
December 19, 2014
Add to that the per diems paid for the 105 military commission personnel who attend the proceedings, which cost more than $16,000.
Prosecutors Have No Idea When 9/11 Mastermind’s Trial Will Start
Tim Mak
December 17, 2014
The proceedings expected this week in Guantanamo Bay had been canceled.
9/11 Mastermind Is Afraid of the Ladies
Tim Mak
December 16, 2014
In a bizarre twist to proceedings, Miss Manners sought to have her £30 cab fare from her Kensington flat to court refunded.
How A British Aristocrat Used Big Game Hunter’s Sperm To Get Pregnant Without His Permission
Tom Sykes
December 2, 2014
Lemkin hung around the proceedings, disheveled and unkempt, but determined.
The Man Who Invented the Word ‘Genocide’
Nina Strochlic
November 19, 2014

Historical Examples of proceedings

Also you will bury a bottle containing report of your proceedings.
Explorations in Australia
John Forrest
The daily proceedings of Congress at Washington are discussed in Japan.
The Grand Old Man
Richard B. Cook
The barons gained some tidings of his proceedings, and were on their guard.
Cameos from English History, from Rollo to Edward II
Charlotte Mary Yonge
He was astonished at the strength of the woman and scandalised by her proceedings.
The Secret Agent
Joseph Conrad
When we were left to ourselves, we held a council of war, about future proceedings.
Ned Myers
James Fenimore Cooper

British Dictionary definitions for proceedings

proceeding

noun

an act or course of action

the institution of a legal action
any step taken in a legal action

(plural) the minutes of the meetings of a club, society, etc

(plural) legal action; litigation

(plural) the events of an occasion, meeting, etc

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for proceedings

"records of the doings of a society," by 1824; see proceeding.

proceeding

1510s, "action of going forward," verbal noun from proceed (v.). From 1550s as "what is done, conduct." Proceedings "records of the doings of a society" is attested by 1824.