progress — English Dictionary

Noun

1. Movement or advancement through a series of events, or points in time; development through time.

   Usage

   • Uncountable
   • usually

   Examples

   Testing for the new antidote is currently in progress.

2. Specifically, advancement to a higher or more developed state; development, growth.

   Usage

   • Uncountable
   • usually

   Examples

   Science has made extraordinary progress in the last fifty years.

   You wish for progress? The Ascians have it. They are deafened by it, crazed by the death of Nature till they are ready to accept Erebus and the rest as gods.

   More examples (1)

   Becoming more aware of the progress that scientists have made on behavioral fronts can reduce the risk that other natural scientists will resort to mystical agential accounts when they exceed the limits of their own disciplinary training.

3. An official journey made by a monarch or other high personage; a state journey, a circuit.

   Usage

   • Uncountable
   • usually

   Examples

   More examples (1)

   ... Queen Elizabeth in one of her progresses, stopping at Crawley to breakfast, was so delighted with some remarkably fine Hampshire beer which was then presented to her by the Crawley of the day (a handsome gentleman with a trim beard and a good leg), that she forthwith erected Crawley into a borough to send two members to Parliament ...

   With the king about to go on progress, the trials and executions were deliberately timed.

4. A journey forward; travel.

   Usage

   • Archaic
   • Uncountable
   • usually

   Examples

   Now Tim began to be struck with these loitering progresses along the garden boundaries in the gloaming, and wondered what they boded.

5. Movement onwards, forwards, or towards a specific objective or direction; advance.

   Usage

   • Uncountable
   • usually

   Examples

   The thick branches overhanging the path made progress difficult.

Verb

1. To move, go, or proceed forward; to advance.

   Usage

   • Intransitive

   Examples

   Visitors progress through the museum at their own pace.

   More examples (1)

   Scotland needed a victory by eight points to have a realistic chance of progressing to the knock-out stages, and for long periods of a ferocious contest looked as if they might pull it off.

2. To develop.

   Usage

   • Intransitive

   Examples

   Societies progress unevenly.

3. To develop. To improve; to become better or more complete.

   Usage

   • broadly
   • Intransitive

4. To expedite.

   Usage

   • Transitive

   Examples

   Or […] they came to progress matters in which Dudley had taken a hand, and left defrauded or bound over to the king.

Noun

1. gradual improvement or growth or development

   Synonyms

   advancement

   Broader terms

   development

   Examples

   advancement of knowledge

   great progress in the arts

2. the act of moving forward (as toward a goal)

   Synonyms

   progressionprocessionadvanceadvancementforward motiononward motion

   Broader terms

   motionmovementmove

3. a movement forward

   Synonyms

   progressionadvance

   Broader terms

   change of locationtravel

   Examples

   he listened for the progress of the troops

Verb

1. develop in a positive way

   Synonyms

   come oncome alongadvanceget onget alongshape up

   Antonyms

   regress

   Broader terms

   develop

   Examples

   He progressed well in school

   My plants are coming along

   More examples (1)

   Plans are shaping up

2. move forward, also in the metaphorical sense

   Synonyms

   advancepass onmove onmarch ongo on

   Broader terms

   travelgomovelocomote

   Examples

   Time marches on

3. form or accumulate steadily

   Synonyms

   build upwork upbuild

   Broader terms

   develop

   Examples

   Resistance to the manager's plan built up quickly

   Pressure is building up at the Indian-Pakistani border