procession

1 of 2

noun

pro·​ces·​sion prə-ˈse-shən How to pronounce procession (audio)
Synonyms of processionnext
1
a
: a group of individuals moving along in an orderly often ceremonial way
b
: succession, sequence
2
a
: continuous forward movement : progression
b
: emanation
the Holy Spirit's procession from the Father

procession

2 of 2

verb

processioned; processioning; processions

intransitive verb

archaic
: to go in procession

Synonyms of procession

Relevance

Noun

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of procession in a Sentence

Noun There was a procession of children carrying candles. The cars moved in procession to the cemetery.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
The funeral procession in the normally bustling Midan neighborhood carried the coffins of three of the victims. — ABC News, 3 July 2026 Another procession is planned the following day in Qom, one of Shiite Islam's holiest cities. — Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026 His death in an enemy attack plays into a powerful Shi'ite tradition of martyrdom and mourning, in which processions of flagellants beat their chests or backs. — Parisa Hafezi, USA Today, 3 July 2026 The Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce wedding extravaganza has begun and with it, a procession of celebrity guests. — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 3 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for procession

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English processioun, from Anglo-French processiun, from Late Latin & Latin; Late Latin procession-, processio religious procession, from Latin, act of proceeding, from procedere

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1706, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of procession was before the 12th century

Rhymes for procession

See All Rhymes for procession

Browse Nearby Words

processer
procession
processional
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Procession.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/procession. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

procession

noun
pro·​ces·​sion
prə-ˈsesh-ən
1
: continuous forward movement : progression
2
: a group of individuals moving along in an orderly often ceremonial way
a funeral procession

More from Merriam-Webster on procession

Nglish: Translation of procession for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about procession

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All