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:
Norris does not use a display on his dashboard showing his progress compared with his previous lap, the so-called delta, as most other drivers do.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
AI’s progress in math is now giving us a peek at a world beyond our comprehension.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
For Kim and Sean Randall, who have a teenager and an 11-month-old, the progress of technology is one of the biggest changes they have noticed in the 15 years between the births of their children.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
Our reporters, critics and staffers are on the ground at TIFF’s 2026 edition now in progress, taking in all the highlights.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
I’m pretty sure he’s reviewing last week’s progress report from school.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
McVay has spoken about giving Williams and Corum more of an even split on carries, but it remains to be seen if that holds as the season progresses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
The agency said it would continue to monitor the activities at the site "as the excavation work progresses".
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
"We understand the public interest and concern. We will continue to bring updates as our investigation progresses," he said.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
Medical experts say travel is best for early-stage patients, warning that trips can become disorienting or risky as dementia progresses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
This shows that, indeed, Achilles is getting arbitrarily close to the two-foot mark as the race progresses: two feet is the limit of the race.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
But computational capabilities have only recently progressed to the point scientists like Amaya have been able to model and track them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
The characters got older as the stories progressed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
Neither dropped a set on their way to the last 16, while American pair Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff - seeded third and fourth - progressed without any serious scares.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
Starting out as a volunteer, across five years he progressed to manage the first team in non-league football in the Spartan South Midlands League, FA Cup and FA Vase.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
He had quickly learned what I had to teach and had progressed from there by his own efforts and enthusiasm.
From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya
However, those drugs alone did not permanently stop the cancer from progressing.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 8, 2026
“We’re still progressing but beating Westlake was huge. We have the best coach, so I think we can make the top division. We’re going to give it our all.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
"White Nights" has emerged as a gateway book for Dostoevsky's work, with some young readers progressing onto more challenging novels, such as "Crime and Punishment."
From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026
The miner’s efforts to open a Peruvian silver-mining project at Royropata are progressing, and engineering works at its Monte do Carmo gold project are nearing completion, it said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 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.
