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.
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
In 2024, authorities charged three women with organising an illegal procession after they staged a pro-Palestinian march.
From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026
As the funeral procession approached the churchyard, a group of women tossed rose petals and rice.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2026
Across from city hall, a black reporter waiting in a phone booth spotted the approaching procession.
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.
