progress
Americannoun
-
progress
plural
-
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)
-
progresses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
progressed,
past participle, past
-
progressing
present participle
-
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:
Walmart and Symbotic haven’t achieved the goal yet, but have made progress, said executives at both companies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
"We believe that following this roadmap, with the support of the United States, will undoubtedly lead our country to progress," she stated.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
A new report discussing OpenAI’s revenue progress seems to be clarifying issues that had been spooking investors.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026
Crews battling a fire near the Grapevine in Gorman have stopped the blaze’s forward progress, officials say.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
For their part, his opponents were impressed with his tenacity and clear signs of progress.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Researchers have known for years that blood vessels in the brain deteriorate as Alzheimer's progresses, especially in people who carry APOE4.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026
As the film progresses, Herzog intimately considers humanity’s relationship to the insurmountable.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
As the SEC’s reform agenda progresses, we can expect more states to follow.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
The new restrictions are being phased in for older students as the year progresses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
As the melody progresses, the pitches may go up or down slowly or quickly.
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
China and the EU said they reached an understanding on hybrid vehicles and progressed trade talks in other areas following meetings between EU’s top trade negotiator and his counterpart in Beijing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
After it progressed to an unbearable point, we moved Tony into assisted living.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
Despite that, most had aggressive disease that had already progressed to Stage III or IV by the time it was diagnosed.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026
The Met said in the 27 years since Dando's death, the investigation had been "subject to numerous reviews", aiming to identify whether matters could be progressed with advances in technology and forensics.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
When she progressed to squealing and shrieking, many of the men turned away, unable to take any more.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
It also said the proportion of Welsh patients progressing from referral for some types of surgery was "significantly lower" than across the border, while the rate of surgery referrals was "significantly higher".
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
AI companies expressed support for slowing the development of their cutting-edge models earlier this month, citing worries that it’s progressing at a rate faster than what humans can safely control.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
Earlier this year, the EU inked a landmark agreement with India and has progressing trade agreement negotiations in various phases with Malaysia and Thailand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
People with higher inflammation tended to have thicker heart walls, smaller heart chambers and poorer heart filling - all changes which may develop quietly for years before progressing to heart failure.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026
The orchestra room was far from the science wing, where Mr. Wrigley was slowly progressing.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
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.
