progress

1 of 2

noun

prog·​ress ˈprä-grəs How to pronounce progress (audio)
-ˌgres
US also and British usually ˈprō-ˌgres
Synonyms of progress
1
a(1)
: a royal journey marked by pomp and pageant
(2)
: a state procession
b
: a tour or circuit made by an official (such as a judge)
c
: an expedition, journey, or march through a region
2
: a forward or onward movement (as to an objective or to a goal) : advance
3
: gradual betterment
especially : the progressive development of humankind
see also:
in progress

progress

2 of 2

verb

pro·​gress prə-ˈgres How to pronounce progress (audio)
progressed; progressing; progresses

intransitive verb

1
: to move forward : proceed
2
: to develop to a higher, better, or more advanced stage

Synonyms of progress

Relevance

Noun

Verb

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of progress in a Sentence

Noun the rapid progress of the ship He made slow progress down the steep cliff. The project showed slow but steady progress. Verb The project has been progressing slowly. The work is progressing and should be completed soon. The caravan progressed slowly across the desert.
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 group will work to translate community feedback into tangible progress for the district. — Adam Thompson, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026 The company is advancing the aircraft toward FAA Part 23 certification and full-scale flight testing, with the Air Force funding intended to accelerate its progress toward an operationally relevant demonstration. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 22 Oct. 2026
Verb
Standard blood tests that count how many red blood cells a person has won’t catch iron deficiency that has not progressed into anemia. — Amanda Schupak, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026 OpenAI found fewer vulnerabilities as its red-teaming campaign progressed. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for progress

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French progrés, from Latin progressus advance, from progredi to go forth, from pro- forward + gradi to go — more at pro-, grade entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

circa 1586, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of progress was in the 15th century

Phrases Containing progress

Rhymes for progress

See All Rhymes for progress

Browse Nearby Words

Progreso
progress
progress chart
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Progress.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/progress. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

progress

1 of 2 noun
prog·​ress ˈpräg-rəs How to pronounce progress (audio)
-ˌres
chiefly British ˈprō-ˌgres
1
: a moving toward a goal
the progress of a ship
2
: gradual improvement or advancement
the progress of science

progress

2 of 2 verb
pro·​gress prə-ˈgres How to pronounce progress (audio)
1
: to move forward : advance, proceed
the story progressed
how is the experiment progressing?
2
: to move toward a higher, better, or more advanced stage
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