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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"The Fun They Had"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Business, List 1
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
In the restaurant, the friends catch up, chatting about the cars they drove here, the progress of their current car projects and the route for the day.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
Southwest said Thursday it has modified about 80% of its Boeing planes subject to the FAA requirements, calling it significant progress.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
He said that share prices seem to bake in that the company will move backwards rather than progress toward this benchmark.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
Van Koeverden said there has been progress at Hockey Canada to "address long-standing systemic failures" and said that national sport organisations must be held accountable.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
His hoodie was getting filthy, but he was making nice progress until one of the loops on his jeans got caught on a wire.
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
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
But as the season progresses, we see him really confronting just how much of a mental breakdown he’s at right now.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
This result raises the possibility that dietary habits may influence how cancer progresses.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 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
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
And Ohtani has progressed to long toss, although manager Dave Roberts said he’s not sure when he’ll move to throwing bullpens.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 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
He wondered more and more as the spring progressed and nothing changed in his life except that Gebu was sometimes in a good mood and sometimes in a bad.
From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
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
Both sides suggested on Saturday that discussions were progressing, but a timeline on any deal being finalised remained unclear.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
Its copper pipeline is also progressing, he adds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
US officials said on Tuesday that talks have been progressing, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggesting a deal to reopen the Strait could be agreed as soon as Tuesday or Wednesday.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 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.
