Meaning & use
proceed
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Meanings
verbintransitive
To go ahead or carry on with something, especially after a pause.
Grammar: Often followed by with or to: proceed with the plan, proceed to the exit.
Patterns
- proceed with something
- proceed to do something
After a short break, the meeting proceeded as planned.
Please proceed to the front desk.
The builders proceeded with the repairs despite the rain.
verbintransitiveformal
To move or travel in a certain direction.
Grammar: Often found in instructions or announcements.
Patterns
- proceed along something
- proceed to somewhere
Passengers should proceed to gate twelve.
The procession proceeded slowly down the street.
Proceed north on the highway for two miles.
verbintransitivelegal
To start legal action against someone.
Grammar: Used with against.
Patterns
- proceed against someone
The company decided to proceed against the supplier.
The state may proceed against the owner.
She chose to proceed against her former employer.
Word forms
| third person singular | proceeds |
|---|---|
| past tense | proceeded |
| past participle | proceeded |
| -ing form | proceeding |
Common combinations
- proceed with caution
- Proceed with caution on the icy path.
- proceed to
- He proceeded to explain the whole plan.
- proceed as planned
- The event will proceed as planned.
- proceed with the plan
- The team will proceed with the plan next week.
- proceed immediately
- Please proceed immediately to the exit.
Synonyms and how they differ
- continue
- Continue is the everyday word, while proceed sounds more formal and suggests moving to the next step.
- advance
- Advance stresses forward movement or progress, and proceed stresses carrying on.
- go ahead
- Go ahead is casual and often gives permission, which proceed does not.
- carry on
- Carry on is informal and implies persisting despite a problem.
Opposites
Word family
- procedure noun
- an established way of doing something
- process noun
- a series of steps
- proceedings noun
- official events, or legal action
- proceeds noun
- money gained from an event
Commonly confused: proceed or precede?
proceed vs precede
Precede means to come before something, but proceed means to go forward.
Practice
After the safety briefing, the group will ____ to the main hall.
Choose one answer.
Proceed means go forward. Precede means come before, which does not fit the sentence.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “proceed”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.