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:
That sustained progress over recent seasons has come since she made another significant decision, uprooting her life to the north Italian city of Padua to be coached by Marco Airale.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
You can then progress to standing on a folded towel or foam pad.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
He’s not a finished product, but the signs of progress and what he can do with his body on a football field have everyone predicting big days ahead.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
He had no idea how much progress it would make.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
She had seen a family of al-mirajes go loping through the sun-dappled undergrowth, a trail of fresh shoots of grass marking their progress behind them.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
Guernsey-based Dr Jean Dean, fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, said nature would alter its behaviour as the eclipse progresses.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
U.S. natural gas futures settled lower for a fourth consecutive session as the summer progresses with solid production and inventories weighing against weather-driven demand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
"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
Typically lenders release installments of the insurance funds as construction progresses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
It wasn’t a classical way to approach the game, and it leads to a very different configuration as the game progresses; but Bobby took the chance.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
“As the days progressed, the subadult started to perch near Shadow in several of his favored trees,” the nonprofit wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
The work eventually progressed toward publication and possible industrial use.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
Bloomberg News said in June that Meta had cut Manus off from its internal systems as the divorce progressed.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
They began touring in the 2000s and progressed to headlining major arenas around the world.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
Each creature progressed through its own stages of transformation.
From "The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science" by Joyce Sidman
The DWP told Panorama "continued modernisation" of the service meant it was "progressing cases more quickly and effectively".
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
Assembly and integration are progressing as Intuitive Machines works toward the broader goal of providing regular cargo and science deliveries to the Moon.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
The company’s sell-down at Simberi injects enough cash to fund the sulfide expansion while progressing the Touqyoy and 15-Mile Hub growth projects, the analysts say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
Both sides suggested on Saturday that discussions were progressing, but a timeline on any deal being finalised remained unclear.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
From there, through a window, he could watch the work progressing and shout his instructions, boiling with rage at his protracted immobility.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
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.
