Meaning & use
procession
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Meanings
nouncountable
A line of people or vehicles moving forward in an orderly way, especially as part of a ceremony.
Grammar: Countable; can be used with 'in' to describe the action: 'walk in procession'.
Patterns
- a procession of something
- in procession
- join a procession
- lead a procession
The wedding procession moved slowly down the aisle.
A procession of cars followed the hearse to the cemetery.
The children walked in procession to the school hall.
nouncountable
A continuous series of people or things appearing one after another.
Grammar: Often used in the pattern 'a procession of'.
Patterns
- a procession of something
- an endless procession of something
An endless procession of visitors came to see the exhibition.
The city sees a procession of tourists every summer.
He had a procession of assistants, none of whom stayed long.
Word forms
| plural | processions |
|---|
Common combinations
- funeral procession
- The funeral procession passed quietly through the village.
- religious procession
- A religious procession wound through the streets during the festival.
- in procession
- The graduates walked in procession to receive their diplomas.
- a long procession
- A long procession of pilgrims approached the shrine.
Synonyms and how they differ
- parade
- A parade is usually more festive and may include music and floats, while a procession is more orderly and often solemn.
- cavalcade
- A cavalcade is a formal procession of riders or vehicles, often more impressive or ceremonial.
- march
- A march is a walk by a group in a military or protest context, whereas a procession is typically ceremonial.
Word family
- proceed verb
- To move forward or continue, especially after stopping.
- processional adjective
- Relating to a procession, as in 'processional music'.
Commonly confused: procession or progression? procession or profession?
procession vs progression
Progression means a gradual development or sequence, not a line of people moving. 'The progression of the disease' is correct, but 'the procession of the disease' is not.
procession vs profession
Profession is a job or career, while procession is a line of people moving. They sound somewhat similar but have unrelated meanings.
Practice
The bride and her father walked in ______ down the aisle.
Choose one answer.
Procession is the correct word for a ceremonial line of people. Progression means development; profession is a job; process is a series of actions.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “procession”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.