Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Forward or onward movement, as toward a destination.
  • noun Development, advancement, or improvement, as toward a goal.
  • noun A ceremonial journey made by a sovereign through his or her realm.
  • intransitive verb To move forward or onward.
  • intransitive verb To develop, advance, or improve.
  • intransitive verb To increase in scope or severity, as a disease taking an unfavorable course.
  • idiom (in progress) Going on; under way.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun plural In astrology, the positions the moon forms in her advance, by allowing one synodical lunation for one year of the native's life.
  • noun A going onward; a moving or proceeding forward; advance: as, to make slow or rapid progress on a journey; to hinder one's progress.
  • noun A passage from place to place; a journey; wayfaring.
  • noun Specifically A journey or circuit of state: as, a royal progress.
  • noun Advancement of any kind; growth; development; improvement: as, the progress of a negotiation; the progress of a plant; the progress of a patient toward recovery; the progress of a scholar in his studies; the progress of the arts and sciences.
  • To move forward or onward in space; proceed; pass; go.
  • To continue onward in course; proceed or advance.
  • To move toward something better; advance on the line of development or improvement.
  • Specifically, in music, of a voice-part, to advance from one tone to another, or, of the harmony in general, from one chord to another.
  • To make headway.
  • To pass over or through; make the tour or circuit of.
  • To cause to advance or pass; push forward.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb obsolete To make progress in; to pass through.
  • intransitive verb To make progress; to move forward in space; to continue onward in course; to proceed; to advance; to go on.
  • intransitive verb To make improvement; to advance.
  • noun A moving or going forward; a proceeding onward; an advance.
  • noun In actual space, as the progress of a ship, carriage, etc.
  • noun In the growth of an animal or plant; increase.
  • noun In business of any kind
  • noun In knowledge; in proficiency.
  • noun Toward ideal completeness or perfection in respect of quality or condition; -- applied to individuals, communities, or the race.
  • noun A journey of state; a circuit; especially, one made by a sovereign through parts of his own dominions.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb intransitive to move, go, or proceed forward; to advance.
  • verb intransitive to improve; to become better or more complete.
  • verb transitive To move (something) forward; to advance, to expedite.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb move forward, also in the metaphorical sense
  • noun the act of moving forward (as toward a goal)
  • noun a movement forward
  • noun gradual improvement or growth or development
  • verb develop in a positive way
  • verb form or accumulate steadily

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English progresse, from Latin prōgressus, from past participle of prōgredī, to advance : prō-, forward; see pro– + gradī, to go, walk; see ghredh- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin prōgressus ("an advance"), from the participle stem of prōgredī ("to go forward, advance, develop"), from pro- ("forth, before") + gradi ("to walk, go").

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Examples

  • If there are no intelligible or describable social processes, then there may be progress, but there will be no sociology and no _methods of progress_.

    Introduction to the Science of Sociology Robert Ezra Park 1926

  • But by progress must not be understood the imaginary and metaphysical _law of progress_, which should lead the generations of man with irresistible force to some unknown destiny, according to a providential plan which we can logically divine and understand.

    Aesthetic as Science of Expression and General Linguistic Benedetto Croce 1909

  • A human society can either fall backward or progress forward, but it cannot _progress backward_.

    The Arena Volume 4, No. 22, September, 1891 Various 1888

  • When work in progress is shared (as my father did with me), we were both able to improve it, I as the observer might have had an idea that my father as constructor didn't and after some discussion and experimentation, who knows, maybe together, we created something better, just because we shared.

    8 posts from July 2009 2009

  • When work in progress is shared (as my father did with me), we were both able to improve it, I as the observer might have had an idea that my father as constructor didn't and after some discussion and experimentation, who knows, maybe together, we created something better, just because we shared.

    tinkering 2009

  • A murder taking place or a murder being stopped in progress is newsworthy.

    The answer to why the Economy Isn’t Happening | Johnny B. Truant 2009

  • When work in progress is shared (as my father did with me), we were both able to improve it, I as the observer might have had an idea that my father as constructor didn't and after some discussion and experimentation, who knows, maybe together, we created something better, just because we shared.

    Innovation 2010

  • He certainly has the potential, his biggest work in progress is adapting to the culture and the demand, Mendenhall said.

    Around the Mountain West Conference 2010

  • When work in progress is shared (as my father did with me), we were both able to improve it, I as the observer might have had an idea that my father as constructor didn't and after some discussion and experimentation, who knows, maybe together, we created something better, just because we shared.

    Integrity 2010

  • When work in progress is shared (as my father did with me), we were both able to improve it, I as the observer might have had an idea that my father as constructor didn't and after some discussion and experimentation, who knows, maybe together, we created something better, just because we shared.

    tinkering 2009

Comments

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  • "Progress is impossible without change." - shaw

    March 8, 2009