Meaning & use
parade
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Meanings
nouncountable
A public procession of people, vehicles, or floats, often to celebrate or commemorate an event.
Grammar: Countable; can be used with 'a' or in the plural.
Patterns
- hold a parade
- watch a parade
- in a parade
The city holds a parade every year on Independence Day.
We watched the parade from the sidewalk.
The parade included marching bands and colorful floats.
verbintransitive
To walk or march in a formal procession, often as part of a ceremony.
Grammar: No object; often followed by a prepositional phrase like 'through' or 'past'.
Patterns
- parade through something
- parade past someone
The soldiers paraded through the town square.
The children paraded in their costumes.
verbtransitivedisapproving
To display something ostentatiously in order to attract attention or admiration.
Grammar: Takes an object: parade your wealth.
Patterns
- parade something
- parade someone around
He likes to parade his new car in front of the neighbors.
She paraded her knowledge at every opportunity.
Word forms
| third person singular | parades |
|---|---|
| past tense | paraded |
| past participle | paraded |
| -ing form | parading |
| plural | parades |
Common combinations
- hold a parade
- The town will hold a parade next month.
- parade through
- The team paraded through the streets after winning.
- parade of homes
- The annual parade of homes showcases new houses.
- on parade
- The soldiers were on parade for the general.
Synonyms and how they differ
- procession
- A more formal word for a line of people moving together; 'parade' often implies celebration.
- march
- Focuses on the act of walking in step; 'parade' can include floats and vehicles.
Word family
- parader noun
- A person who takes part in a parade.
Commonly confused: parade or parody?
parade vs parody
A humorous imitation; not related to a procession.
Practice
The soldiers ______ through the city center to celebrate the victory.
Choose one answer.
'Paraded' is the past tense of 'parade', meaning marched in a procession. 'Parody' means to imitate humorously, 'parodied' is its past tense, and 'parading' would need an auxiliary verb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “parade”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.