proceed
English
Etymology
From Middle English proceden, from Old French proceder, from Latin prōcēdō (“I go forth, go forward, advance”), from prō (“forth”) + cēdō (“I go”); see cede.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /pɹəˈsiːd/
Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -iːd
- Homophone: precede
Verb
proceed (third-person singular simple present proceeds, present participle proceeding, simple past and past participle proceeded)
- (intransitive) To move, pass, or go forward or onward; to advance; to carry on
- to proceed on a journey
- 1944 July and August, “Top Link Drivers: XXI—Driver H. Blunt, L.N.E.R.”, in Railway Magazine, page 226:
- Having completed their task, Fireman Page telephoned from a lineside box to the next signal cabin, briefly reported the incident and said that, as no high explosive had dropped and the track was safe, they proposed proceeding "at caution".
- 1960 December, “Talking of Trains: The railways and the Devon floods”, in Trains Illustrated, page 709:
- [...] and on the Saturday heavy seas pounded the W.R. on its exposed coastal stretch between Dawlish and Teignmouth, loosening the ballast and forcing trains to proceed with extreme caution.
- (intransitive) To pass from one point, topic, or stage, to another.
- to proceed with a story or argument
- (intransitive) To come from; to have as its source or origin.
- Light proceeds from the sun.
- (intransitive) To go on in an orderly or regulated manner; to begin and carry on a series of acts or measures; to act methodically
- a. 1705, John Locke, “Of the Conduct of the Understanding”, in Posthumous Works of Mr. John Locke: […], London: […] A[wnsham] and J[ohn] Churchill, […], published 1706, OCLC 6963663:
- He that proceeds upon others’ principles in his enquiry
-
- (intransitive) To be transacted; to take place; to occur.
- 1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act I, scene ii]:
- And he will, after his sour fashion, tell you
What hath proceeded worthy note to-day
-
- (intransitive, of a rule) To be applicable or effective; to be valid.
- 1726, John Ayliffe, Parergon juris canonici Anglicani
- [This rule] only proceeds and takes place, when a person cannot of common Right condemn or bind another by his Sentence.
- 1726, John Ayliffe, Parergon juris canonici Anglicani
- (law, intransitive) To begin and carry on a legal process.
- 2005, Rodney Stich, Disavow: Sage of Betrayal
- “Gentlemen, shall we proceed?” the judge said.
From the beginning, Judge Fong appeared bored at Levine's coaxing remarks.
- “Gentlemen, shall we proceed?” the judge said.
- 2005, Rodney Stich, Disavow: Sage of Betrayal
- (intransitive) To take an academic degree.
Usage notes
- When used as a catenative verb, proceed takes the to infinitive (i.e. one says proceed to swing, not proceed swing). See Appendix:English catenative verbs.
- Not to be confused with precede.
- Many of the other English verbs ultimately derived from Latin cēdō are spelled ending in "cede", so the misspelling "procede" is common.
Synonyms
- progress, forthgo
Antonyms
- regress
- recede
Related terms
- procedure
- process
Translations
go forward
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pass from one point to another
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come forth as a source or origin
|
go on in an orderly or regulated manner
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take place
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have application or effect
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begin and carry on a legal process
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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See also
- proceeds (noun)
References
- proceed in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911
- proceed in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.
(See the entry for proceed in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913)
Anagrams
- copered, pre-Code, precode