progression

American  

[pruh-gresh-uhn] / prəˈgrɛʃ ən /

noun

1. the act of progressing; forward or onward movement.

2. a passing successively from one member of a series to the next; succession; sequence.

3. Mathematics. a succession of quantities in which there is a constant relation between each member and the one succeeding it.

4. Music. the manner in which chords or melodic tones follow one another; a succession of chords or tones.

5. Astrology. any of a variety of methods of comparing the natal chart to subsequent planetary positions in order to establish an optimum time to accomplish things or to establish the probable time an event occurred or will occur.

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progression British  

/ prəˈɡrɛʃən /

noun

1. the act of progressing; advancement

2. the act or an instance of moving from one thing or unit in a sequence to the next

3. maths a sequence of numbers in which each term differs from the succeeding term by a constant relation See also arithmetic progression geometric progression harmonic progression

4. music movement, esp of a logical kind, from one note to the next ( melodic progression ) or from one chord to the next ( harmonic progression )

5. astrology one of several calculations, based on the movement of the planets, from which it is supposed that one can find the expected developments in a person's birth chart and the probable trends of circumstances for a year in his life

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Other Word Forms

• progressional
  adjective
• progressionally
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of progression

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin prōgressiōn-, stem of prōgressiō “advancement, forward movement”; equivalent to progress + -ion

Explanation

A progression is a series that advances in a logical and predictable pattern. In mathematics, for example, the series 2, 4, 6, 8 is an arithmetic progression. If asked to give the next number, most people would reply 10. A movement forward, especially one that advances toward some achievement, is called a progression. When you get your learner's permit, it's a step in the natural progression from child to responsible adult — although you may see it as part of your progression toward freedom. The progression from permit to driver's license includes a few more steps, like highway driving and learning how to parallel park your dad's enormous car.

Example Sentences

They also showed greater progression of osteoarthritis and were more likely to need additional knee surgery compared to those who did not receive the actual procedure.

From Science Daily • May 6, 2026

In an era marked by burnout, sedentary lifestyles and rising mental-health struggles, progression offers a practical compass.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026

Mifepristone, which prevents pregnancy progression, and misoprostol, which empties the uterus, are approved to terminate a pregnancy up to 70 days of gestation in the United States.

From Barron's • May 1, 2026

And while Andy, Miranda, Nigel and Emily are written and performed with as much profundity as they are in the first film, each of their arcs feels like a progression, rather than simple repetition.

From Salon • May 1, 2026

At this point, I still attributed much of my progression and success to my years working with Akhi, but I was disappointed by how disconnected we had become.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

Related Words

• advancement
• breakthrough
• evolution