procession
Americannoun
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the act of moving along or proceeding proceeding in orderly succession or in a formal and ceremonious manner, as a line of people, animals, vehicles, etc.
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the line or body of persons or things moving along in such a manner.
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Ecclesiastical. an office, litany, etc., said or sung in a religious procession.
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Theology. the emanation of the Holy Spirit from the Father and later, in the Western Church, from the Son: distinguished from the “generation” of the Son and the “unbegottenness” of the Father.
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the act of coming forth from a source.
verb (used without object)
noun
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the act of proceeding in a regular formation
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a group of people or things moving forwards in an orderly, regular, or ceremonial manner
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a hymn, litany, etc, sung in a procession
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Christianity the emanation of the Holy Spirit
verb
Usage
What does procession mean? A procession is a line of people or vehicles moving along in an orderly and often ceremonial way.A very common example is a funeral procession, which is the line of cars or people traveling together to a burial. A parade is another kind of procession.Procession is the noun form of the verb process, meaning to proceed in or as if in a procession.Example: The procession was so long that they had to block traffic so it could stay together.
Etymology
Origin of procession
before 1150; early Middle English (< Old French ) < Late Latin prōcessiōn- (stem of prōcessiō ) a religious procession, literally, a marching on. See process, -ion
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.
The Parades Commission determination had placed conditions on a procession, applied for by some Cliftonville supporters, before it went ahead.
From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026
Pope Leo XIV led a torch-lit procession at the Colosseum in Rome on Friday as he prepares for his first Easter as pontiff in the shadow of war in the Middle East.
From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026
In Spell 16, a funerary procession, stacked like a doll’s house, shows Ankhmerwer kneeling before three representations of the sun god.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026
The traditional Palm Sunday procession into the city had already been cancelled due to restrictions on public gatherings.
From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026
Leading the procession along with Dr. King and other civil rights leaders were an Episcopal bishop, a Jewish rabbi, a United Nations diplomat, and four Catholic nuns wearing long black habits.
From "Because They Marched" by Russell Freedman
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.
