progress
Americannoun
-
a movement toward a goal or to a further or higher stage.
the progress of a student toward a degree.
- Synonyms:
- progression, advance
- Antonyms:
- regression
-
developmental activity in science, technology, etc., especially with reference to the commercial opportunities created thereby or to the promotion of the material well-being of the public through the goods, techniques, or facilities created.
-
advancement in general.
-
growth or development; continuous improvement.
He shows progress in his muscular coordination.
- Synonyms:
- betterment, increase
-
the development of an individual or society in a direction considered more beneficial than and superior to the previous level.
-
Biology. increasing differentiation and perfection in the course of ontogeny or phylogeny.
-
forward or onward movement.
the progress of the planets.
-
the forward course of action, events, time, etc.
-
an official journey or tour, as by a sovereign or dignitary.
verb (used without object)
-
to go forward or onward in space or time.
The wagon train progressed through the valley. As the play progressed, the leading man grew more inaudible.
-
to grow or develop, as in complexity, scope, or severity; advance.
Are you progressing in your piano studies? The disease progressed slowly.
- Antonyms:
- regress
idioms
noun
-
movement forwards, esp towards a place or objective
-
satisfactory development, growth, or advance
she is making progress in maths
-
advance towards completion, maturity, or perfection
the steady onward march of progress
-
(modifier) of or relating to progress
a progress report
-
biology increasing complexity, adaptation, etc, during the development of an individual or evolution of a group
-
a stately royal journey
-
taking place; under way
verb
-
(intr) to move forwards or onwards, as towards a place or objective
-
to move towards or bring nearer to completion, maturity, or perfection
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
progresssimple
-
progressessimple
-
have progressedperfect
-
has progressedperfect
-
am progressingprogressive
-
are progressingprogressive
-
is progressingprogressive
-
have been progressingperfect progressive
-
has been progressingperfect progressive
Past
-
progressedsimple
-
had progressedperfect
-
was progressingprogressive
-
were progressingprogressive
-
had been progressingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of progress
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English progresse (noun), from Latin prōgressus “a going forward,” equivalent to prōgred-, stem of prōgredī “to advance” ( prō- “advancing, projecting forward” + -gredī, combining form of gradī “to step”; see pro- 1, grade) + -tus suffix of verb action
Explanation
The process of advancement and the way things move in the positive direction of improvement is called progress. If you got a B on your last test and a B+ on this one, that's progress. If you're moving toward a goal, you're making progress too. On a long trip, it feels like you're barely making progress, but every hour you've driven another 60 miles towards your destination. Or, the news reported recent progress in peace talks between the two feuding nations. Have you ever heard someone say that you can't stop progress? That means that things keep advancing and getting more complicated. Place the accent on the second syllable if you use it as a verb. Let's progress to the next stage.
Vocabulary lists containing progress
UCPS 6th Grade Roots List #1
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"The Fun They Had"
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Business, List 1
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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:
Arsenal's home crowds accounted for 41% of all supporters at WSL fixtures, a club success story, though one that raises questions about the overall supporter experience as both league and clubs strive to progress.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
In hardware, however, China still lags far behind the U.S. even with Huawei’s recent progress, and chip-production capacity problems are preventing Chinese companies from deploying AI as quickly as they would like.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
American has made progress in paying down debt, resulting in gradually lower interest expenses.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
It had been expected Gabriel would play some part in United's pre-season this summer given the progress the Londoner has made through the club's youth system.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
We were slowly making progress, but then a breathtaking tragedy took place.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
"You leave the hotel at 8.30... it feels as if it was noontime. And as the day progresses, it just gets hotter and hotter and hotter," said Yesenia Gueta, 47, visiting from Los Angeles.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
They first appear at higher latitudes and gradually move closer to the solar equator as the cycle progresses.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
Typically lenders release installments of the insurance funds as construction progresses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
The miner can grow its output by up to 30% by 2028 as its Centinela second concentrator project progresses, they add.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
At first he tries to eat all of everything, but as the meal progresses he finds he must forgo some things to keep his appetite and his taste buds functioning.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
Asian equities pared gains as the trading day progressed, while Nasdaq futures dropped as chip makers that have driven market swings in recent days fell back.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
These particles may offer new biomarkers for diagnosing Alzheimer's disease and determining how far it has progressed.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026
Additionally, England and France were put in opposite sides of the knockouts and on a path to meet either Spain or Argentina in the semi-finals if they all progressed.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
Blake Snell, who also had loose bodies removed from his pitching elbow, progressed to throwing live batting practice on Saturday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026
The summer progressed and the Salinas River retired underground or stood in green pools under high banks.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
Yousif said prices and demand began easing shortly after US President Donald Trump announced last month that negotiations with Iran were progressing.
From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026
With so many players deep, Norway often have an overload at the back making progressing up the pitch easier.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
Parallel to Byrd’s stirring public advocacy is a crucial personal thread: her nurturing of Shelly, whose progressing dementia requires regular supervision.
From Salon ● Jul. 10, 2026
Though Rinsch told the streamer that his sci-fi show “White Horse” was progressing nicely, the filmmaker allegedly moved the remaining money into cryptocurrency and profited from crypto speculation over the next couple of years.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
And speaking of treacherousness, things were not, in any way, progressing as Flora had planned.
From "Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures" by Kate DiCamillo
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.
