proceeding
Americannoun
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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:
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
It is not clear whether his attorneys will call any witnesses before the proceeding ends.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
"Every court proceeding serves as a painful reminder of his death and the loss that has irrevocably impacted our lives and the lives of his children."
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
Hearing him retell it—seeing how impassive he looked in a videotape of the court proceeding, it’s hard to make sense of how singular and important the moment was for him.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
Staffordshire Police said that it would not be appropriate to comment due to ongoing misconduct proceedings.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
The FSB security service said it had launched international search proceedings for Durov, who is also Telegram's CEO.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
The court proceedings will be a sideshow to the real issue.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Citizenship and Immigration Services allows asylum officers to bypass the need to interview certain applicants and instead refer them directly to immigration judges for removal proceedings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
She also asked the Florida Department of Children and Families’ lawyers to begin termination proceedings for Dusty Grover’s rights to Luke and my mother’s rights to me.
From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter
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.
