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progress

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progress¹

  • /ˈpɹəʊ.ɡɹɛs/ UK
  • /ˈpɹɑ.ɡɹɛs/ US
  • /-ɹəs/ US
  • /ˈpɹoʊ.ɡɹɛs/ Canada
  • [ˈp(ʰ)ɹoː.ɡɹɛs] Canada
  • /ˈpɹəʉ.ɡɹes/ Australia
  • [ˈpɹɐʉ.ɡɹes] Australia
  • /ˈpɹɐʉ.ɡɹes/ New Zealand

Rhymes with -əʊɡɹɛs, -ɒɡɹɛs

Where it comes from

From Middle English progresse, from Old French progres (“a going forward”), from Latin prōgressus (“an advance”), from the participle stem of prōgredī (“to go forward, advance, develop”), from pro- (“forth, before”) + gradi (“to walk, go”). Displaced native Old English forþgang.

noun progresses

  1. uncountable, usually Movement or advancement through a series of events, or points in time; development through time. Testing for the new antidote is currently in progress.
  2. uncountable, usually Specifically, advancement to a higher or more developed state; development, growth. Science has made extraordinary progress in the last fifty years.
  3. uncountable, usually An official journey made by a monarch or other high personage; a state journey, a circuit. ... Queen Elizabeth in one of her progresses, stopping at Crawley to breakfast, was so delighted with some remarkably fine Hampshire beer which was then presented to her by the Crawley of the day (a handsome gentleman with a trim beard and a good leg), that she forthwith erected Crawley into a borou
  4. archaic, uncountable, usually A journey forward; travel. Now Tim began to be struck with these loitering progresses along the garden boundaries in the gloaming, and wondered what they boded.
  5. uncountable, usually Movement onwards, forwards, or towards a specific objective or direction; advance. The thick branches overhanging the path made progress difficult.

progress²

  • /pɹəˈɡɹɛs/ Canada, US, UK
  • /pɹəˈɡɹes/ Australia, New Zealand

Where it comes from

From the noun. Lapsed into disuse in the 17th century, except in the US. Considered an Americanism on reintroduction to use in the UK.

verb progresses · progressing · progressed

  1. intransitive To move, go, or proceed forward; to advance. Visitors progress through the museum at their own pace.
  2. intransitive To develop. Societies progress unevenly.
  3. broadly, intransitive To improve; to become better or more complete.
  4. transitive To expedite. Or […] they came to progress matters in which Dudley had taken a hand, and left defrauded or bound over to the king.

Opposite: regress, retrogress

Progress³

proper noun

  1. A rural municipality of Saskatchewan, Canada.
  2. An unincorporated community in Monroe Township, Delaware County, Indiana, United States.
  3. An unincorporated community in Pike County, Mississippi, United States.
  4. A former unincorporated community and neighborhood of Washington County, Oregon, United States, in the cities of Tigard and Beaverton.
  5. An unincorporated community and census-designated place in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States, lying in Susquehanna Township and Lower Paxton Township.
  6. A programming language

Progress⁴

Where it comes from

Borrowed from Russian Прогресс (Progress), from прогресс (progress).

noun Progresses

  1. Any of a series of Soviet, later Russian spacecraft.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: progression, advance, advancement, march on, come on, shape up, move on, pass on, build up, go on, get along, build, come along, work up, get on, forward motion

verb

Opposite: regress, retrogress

Translations

Every language

noun movement or advancement through a series of events, or points in time

हिन्दीउन्नति unnati, प्रगति pragti, विकास vikās
Русскийпродвиже́ние prodvižénije

noun advancement to a more developed state

Españolprogreso
한국어진보 jinbo
日本語進歩 shinpo
中文進步 /进步 jìnbù
हिन्दीप्रगति pragti, उन्नति unnati, विकास vikās, तरक़्क़ी taraqqī
Portuguêsprogresso
Françaisprogrès
DeutschFortschritt
Italianoprogresso
Ελληνικάπρόοδος próodos
Românăprogres
Русскийпрогре́сс progréss
Tiếng Việttiến bộ, sự tiến bộ
العربيةتَقَدُّم taqaddum
עבריתהִתקַדְמוּת hitkadmút

noun movement onwards or forwards

Españolprogreso
한국어진보 jinbo, 진행 jinhaeng, 전진 jeonjin
日本語進歩 shinpo, 進行 shinkō
中文進步 /进步 jìnbù, 進行 /进行 jìnxíng
हिन्दीप्रगति pragti, उन्नति unnati
Portuguêsprogresso
Françaisprogrès, amélioration
DeutschFortschritt
Italianoprogresso
Ελληνικάπρόοδος próodos, εξέλιξη exélixi
Русскийпрогре́сс progréss, продвиже́ние prodvižénije
Tiếng Việttiến bộ
العربيةتَقَدُّم taqaddum
עבריתהִתְקַדְּמוּת hitqadmut

verb to move forward

हिन्दीअग्रसर agrasar
Portuguêsseguir
Françaisprogresser
Italianoavanzare
Ελληνικάπροχωρώ prochoró, προχωράω prochoráo, εξελίσσομαι exelíssomai
Românăprogresa

verb to become better or more complete

Españolprogresar
हिन्दीप्रगति pragti, विकास vikās, उन्नति unnati
Portuguêsprogredir
Italianoprogredire
Ελληνικάπροοδεύω proodévo, σημειώνω πρόοδο simeióno próodo

noun Soviet, then Russian, space capsules

РусскийПрогресс

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Cite this
MLA

"progress." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/progress. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

progress. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/progress

Chicago

"progress." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/progress.

BibTeX
@misc{progress_2026,
  title = {progress},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/progress},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}