proceedpro‧ceed /prəˈsiːd/ ●●○ S3 W3 AWL verb [intransitive] 
The government was determined to proceed with the election. Before proceeding further, we must define our terms.RegisterIn everyday English, people usually say go ahead rather than proceed:· They decided to go ahead with the project.2formal to continue: Work is proceeding according to plan.3proceed to do something to do something after doing something else first – used sometimes to express surprise or annoyance: Sammy took off his coat and proceeded to undo his boots.4[always +adverb/preposition] formal to move in a particular directionproceed to/towards/into etc Passengers for Miami should proceed to gate 25. ► Do not confuse with precede (=happen before or go before): the period of illness that preceded his deathproceed against somebody phrasal verb law to begin a legal case against someoneproceed from something phrasal verb formal to happen or exist as a result of something: ideas that proceed from a disturbed state of mindproceed to something phrasal verb formal if you proceed to the next part of an activity, job etc, you do or take part in the next part of it SYN go on to: players who proceed to the finals of the competition
WORD ORIGINproceed
Origin:
1300-1400 Old French proceder, from Latin procedere ‘to go forward’VERB TABLE
proceed
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | proceed |
| he, she, it | proceeds | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | proceeded |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have proceeded |
| he, she, it | has proceeded | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had proceeded |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will proceed |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have proceeded |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am proceeding |
| he, she, it | is proceeding | |
| you, we, they | are proceeding | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was proceeding |
| you, we, they | were proceeding | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been proceeding |
| he, she, it | has been proceeding | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been proceeding |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be proceeding |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been proceeding |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- According to the newspaper the negotiations are proceeding smoothly.
- Contract negotiations are proceeding smoothly.
- Work on the new tunnel is proceeding very well.
- And he proceeded to do just that, quite convincingly.
- Contract drafting and negotiation Contract drafting can generally proceed concurrently with due diligence.
- I intended to proceed just as we had discussed.
- The abrasive new general brushed aside Stirling's request and proceeded to give him a lecture.
- The silicon ingots are highly perfect single crystals and on the atomic scale the cutting has to proceed through breaking bonds.
- They are anxious to proceed with the program and reap the economic payoffs it promises on both sides of the border.
- Unfortunately, they allowed his notice to expire without further action and proceeded to recruit new employees.
Longman Language Activatorwhen something continues to happen
to happen without stopping: · The good weather seems likely to continue.· Unless there are serious negotiations, the fighting will continue.· Some people have lost work, and this will continue to happen until the computer system is fixed.continue for three months/a long time/several weeks etc: · The review process is expected to continue for several weeks.
to continue - use this to say how long something continues for: last two hours/six months/a long time etc: · The concert lasted all day.· It's not certain how long the ceasefire will last.last for two hours/six months/a long time etc: · The discussion lasted for no more than thirty minutes.last from/until: · The meeting lasted until lunchtime.· The training period lasted from July 2 to August 25.
to continue, especially for a long time: · The discussion went on for another four hours before agreement was reached.· The applause went on for ten minutes after the actors left the stage.go on and on (=continue for a very long time): · The noise from next door went on and on.
British to continue, especially in spite of problems or opposition: · The celebrations carried on as if nothing had happened.· The struggle for liberation will carry on long after I am dead.
formal if a problem or bad conditions persist , they continue to exist because you cannot stop them: · See your doctor if the symptoms persist.· If adverse weather conditions persist, the game will be cancelled.
formal to continue in the way that has been planned: · Work on the new tunnel is proceeding very well.· According to the newspaper the negotiations are proceeding smoothly.
to continue to happen or develop gradually over a period of time: as something progresses: · As the meeting progressed Jack became more and more bored.· As the war progressed, it became increasingly difficult to buy fresh food.
if something that is happening drags on , it is boring and seems to continue for much longer than necessary: · The talks dragged on, with no apparent hope of achieving a peaceful solution.drag on for an hour/weeks/years etc: · The history lesson dragged on for another hour.
to start doing something · We can't start until Carol gets here.· I'm starting a new job next week.· Have you started that book yet? (=started reading it)start doing something · I've just started learning German.· It was getting dark so we started looking for a place to stay the night.start to do something · Halfway through the performance, she started to feel a little faint.· Outside, it was starting to rain.
to start doing something. Begin is more formal than start and is used especially in written English: · Once the children were quiet, the teacher began.· They began their holiday in Italy, and then went on to Greece.begin to do something: · More and more people are beginning to do their shopping on-line.· "What do you mean?" she said, beginning to laugh.begin doing something: · The audience suddenly began shouting and cheering.
to finally start doing something, especially work, after you have been avoiding doing it or after something has prevented you from doing it: · Come on Sam - it's time you got down to some homework.get down to to doing something: · When the summer comes, we must get down to painting the outside of the house.get down to business: · OK, can everyone take a seat now, and we'll get down to business.
to start a piece of work that will take a fairly long time: · The exam was almost over and I hadn't even started on question 3.· It was time to start on all those little jobs around the house that he'd been putting off.· We can't start on the building work until planning permission comes through.
to start a long and fairly difficult piece of work, especially in an energetic and determined way: · Philip set about the task with a great deal of energy and enthusiasm.· Why don't we set to work really early, and try to get it finished in one day?set about/set to work doing something: · If there is a serious problem, it's far better to admit it and set about tackling it.set to work to do something: · Workmen had already set to work to clear the fallen trees.set to work on something: · Once in power, the government set to work on major reforms to the tax system.
to start doing something after you have finished doing something else: · Martin marched into the shop and proceeded to hurl abuse at the girl behind the counter.· After listening carefully to my advice, she proceeded to do the exact opposite!
to start doing something after a delay or interruption that has stopped you giving it your full attention: · After lunch the children settled down to finish their science projects.settle down to to doing something: · It was two o'clock before I could finally settle down to writing the next chapter.
to suddenly start a long speech or story, especially if you are criticizing something or giving an entertaining description of something: · Annie arrived late and immediately launched into a lengthy description of the terrible traffic on the roads.· At that point the young man stood up and launched into a passionate party-political speech.
to start a large piece of work or an important activity, especially one that will be difficult or will take a long time: · In the 1950s China embarked on a massive program of industrialization and mechanization.· After leaving his office job, he embarked upon a highly successful writing career.
to gradually start to like, fear, expect etc something over a period of time: · Rowling's latest book is full of all the magic and excitement that her young readers have come to expect.· At first I thought he was a bit strange, but I grew to like and respect him over the years.· My teacher said that this wasn't the kind of work that she'd come to expect of me.
spoken informal to start doing something immediately, because you are in a hurry or there is a lot to do: · Come on! - get cracking. I want this whole house clean by the time I get back.· You'd better get cracking if you want to get to the airport by ten.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Work is proceeding according to plan.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
Work is proceeding according to plan.· You should always proceed with caution in financial matters.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB· The question is not whether countries should proceed along some abstract preordained development path.· When hundreds of students tried to proceed along them they very speedily became totally blocked.· Like Michel Pastoureau, I believe that the study of colour in Western art must proceed along broadly anthropological lines.
· Not always, though, did effects shots proceed as smoothly.· Scientists set out to accomplish the next phase, only to find that it did not proceed as smoothly as the first.· In general, observers noted that the economic reforms were not proceeding as quickly as originally envisaged.· However, on June 27 Medvedev announced that the consensus had been for the congress to proceed as scheduled.· Howard justified overruling the recommendation saying it was national policy to proceed as quickly as possible with renewable energy projects.· In a few hours, you will find the pollen dropping and you can proceed as before.· The goal of policy, nevertheless, must be to be able to proceed as if the violence were a separate matter.· To establish the uniqueness of this decomposition we proceed as follows.
· The Precautionary Principle suggests that we should do more to understand the long-term impacts before proceeding.· The Academy has this quirk about a plebe having to pass orals before proceeding.· Before proceeding with some of the answers, I should place those answers in the framework of my actual intentions.· Before proceeding to the mechanics of the double-entry ac-counting system, we must examine one very important accounting concept.· Hughes told him to check the individuals for signs of life before proceeding to the green shack to negotiate.
· Once there, it might go into orbit temporarily then land, or it might proceed directly to the surface.· In this case, one would proceed directly to Step 3 in the accounting cycle and post the general ledger directly.· This will enable the traveller to proceed directly to the plane.· About one third of high school graduates who proceed directly to higher education enter community colleges.
· There came a point when we had to advise our client that she didn't proceed further.· Without a clear notion of these two relationships, there may be no opportunity to proceed further.· For this reason it is appropriate to take a base-line review of the nature of educational change as a whole before proceeding further.· So before we proceed further it is important that we look at the units and measurement of temperature, pressure and volume.· Inquiry reaches a point of maximum tension, then can not proceed further.· My conclusion makes it unnecessary for me to proceed further upon the natural justice argument.· But, proceeding further, I find Ruether's work to be less than satisfactory because muddled methodologically.· It is also rather embarrassing to stop dead on a hack and be unable to proceed further.
· They proceeded slowly back uphill, with Hyacinth walking taller at each step as she appreciated the glamour of her new condition.· He proceeded slowly, hands clenched in his pockets, eyes scanning labels on the stacked boxes.· They proceeded slowly, one step at a time since the brace on Goebbels' leg made using stairs difficult.· Work, however, proceeded slowly because of the demands of war.· After greeting his father, Robin proceeded slowly round the room greeting friends.· He knew that the investigation into the deaths of the young boys was proceeding slowly but methodically, building up a picture.
· You set the scene, as it were, for your presentation and then proceed to follow the pattern laid down.· Art and Flo then proceeded to create their own big clan here in Denver.· Mira starts by drawing a genealogical tree and then proceeds to invent stories to account for it.· He then proceeded to stomp on it, in the presence of the emperor.· This results in a ball of cells, which then proceeds to burrow into the wall of the uterus.· Hess then proceeded to describe the ocean floor as if it were a collection of giant conveyor belts.· Join one shoulder of the garment and then proceed with the neckband as above.· Once eye-witness statements have been obtained then proceed to obtain statements relative to systems of inspection, complaints procedures, etc.
NOUN· I will proceed on the basis of local training in most items, as you suggest.
· If the Commission thinks the case admissible and worth proceeding with, it sees if it can achieve a friendly settlement.· In this case, one would proceed directly to Step 3 in the accounting cycle and post the general ledger directly.· Because few such cases proceed to trial it was argued that claims assessors should be able to issue proceedings on behalf of their clients.· Basically, they assure me that the case is ready to proceed.· At the end of the police investigation the suspect must be taken before a prosecutor who decides how the case should proceed.· Louis ruled by a 2 to 1 margin Tuesday that the case should proceed.· Lord Penrose said that the case should proceed to a full hearing of evidence on those points.· Lawyers may also add an additional hourly charge for the actual time at trial, assuming the case does proceed to trial.
· It is essential, therefore, that we proceed with great caution when handling toxic and hazardous waste.· Still walking east, the party were aware that they were almost at the front line and had to proceed with caution.· As mentioned earlier in the text, it is important to proceed with caution when acting for joint buyers.
· If there is a case to answer, the court must proceed with a presumption of guilt.· But Anderson, testifying in the same court proceeding, denied telling Becker that.· Without jurisdiction the court can not proceed at all in any cause.
· It should also be stressed that the decision whether or not to proceed with a deal at any stage rests with yourselves.· In spite of these reservations, the decision to proceed with a trial of post-exposure treatment is sound and essential.· The decision as to whether or not to proceed is always made by the originator, thus allowing for his or her growth.· In capital murder trials, the jury makes a life-or-death decision in a separate proceeding after a conviction.· This expresses nothing more than the notion that the decision should proceed from the proofs and arguments advanced by the parties.· Evaluation of short-listed options Realistic evaluation of the options allows a clear decision on whether to proceed or not.· Any facts that might affect the customer's decision whether or not to proceed must be disclosed.· The Reporter makes the initial decisions about whether to proceed any further with a particular case.
· Earlier developments by geographers which proceeded somewhat independently were located in arid, semi-arid and subtropical areas.· Conceptually, cognitive growth and development proceed in this way at all levels of development.· Second, the contradictions inherent in the demands made on the state were likely to intensify as capitalist development proceeded.· In order for development to proceed, disequilibration must occur.· Should the development proceed, first gas is expected in early 1996.· The measurement development process proceeded from the top down.· At this point it is a coherent description of how and why intellectual development proceeds.
· In other respects, however, the implementation of the peace plan was proceeding well, according to the report.
· A ritualized fight will often proceed through several stages, like a tournament.· Yet many of these people proceed beyond the dreaming stage.· Not every piece of work a child undertakes needs to proceed through successive stages of drafting.· In presenting my viewpoint, I wish to proceed in six stages.· If the jury had ruled against compensatory damages, the case would not have been able to proceed to the punitive stage.· To analyze the model, we proceed in two stages.
· Because few such cases proceed to trial it was argued that claims assessors should be able to issue proceedings on behalf of their clients.· Lawyers may also add an additional hourly charge for the actual time at trial, assuming the case does proceed to trial.· Both judges decided in favour of the child having a possible cause of action so that each action will proceed to trial.· Cameron, not her lawyer, would decide whether to settle or to proceed to trial.· Her decision allows the 1991 suit to proceed to a jury trial.· In spite of these reservations, the decision to proceed with a trial of post-exposure treatment is sound and essential.
· The way to proceed is to find a nearby oak situated in roughly the same environment as the area selected for planting.· Perhaps the best way to proceed is by a process of elimination.· But some issues, like this one, are so universally difficult that a commission is the only useful way to proceed.· I wonder whether the way to proceed might not be to write our own.· In fact, you could argue that these kinds of efforts are so new that this is the only way to proceed.· It is the only safe way to proceed in the future.· Debate and discourse are the right way to proceed in a democracy.
· I agree that if the Liberal Democrats came to power, that work would not proceed.· The proposals were relatively brief and only suggestive of how future work might proceed.· He ordered the work to proceed.· This way the work can proceed at your own rate, and without the problems already mentioned.· The group sunk its first exploratory well in late 1987, and work proceeded rapidly.· In any case, work in Hamburg is proceeding apace.
VERB· The Committee concluded that, subject to some important amendments and undertakings relating to groundwater, the Bill should be allowed to proceed.· It contained no military material and was allowed to proceed.· Those assembled were unanimous that the King could not be allowed to proceed as he was doing.· Nice did produce some good news: the minimum conditions were at least met to allow enlargement to proceed without hindrance.· Perhaps it is appropriate to safeguard a reasonable percentage of each good cause's allocation to allow such planning to proceed.· The ligation reaction was allowed to proceed about 4 hours at room temperature.· A compromise on objectives may be needed to allow the process to proceed.· Why, after a campaign punctuated by sporadic Khmer Rouge attacks, was the election allowed to proceed relatively peacefully?
· Our entrepreneur decided not to proceed.· Later this year Clinton will have to decide whether to proceed with such a system.· The goal of this meeting is to review the information provided by the reviewers and to decide jointly how to proceed.· In trying to unbend curvy lines, there is another way of deciding how to proceed on the ladder of powers.· Thus you will know what your liability is and can decide whether to proceed.· The threat of demolition Even if the Church Commissioners decide to proceed with demolition, all is not yet lost.· Careful analysis of the shareholding structure is therefore required before deciding to proceed with a Court Scheme.
· Although I can not give a date, we intend to proceed just as soon as we can resolve the question of the contract.· I intended to proceed just as we had discussed.· As the introduction says how you intend to proceed, you are committing yourself to a particular course.· Do not activate them on a package until it is intended to proceed with the work.· Czechoslovakia, however, intends to proceed with the work in progress at Gabcikovo, south-east of Bratislava.· The Attorney-General then gave notice that he intended to proceed with the charges against the applicant.· We intend to proceed and shall resolve the contract at the earliest possible date.
· No doubt there will be would-be adopters who are likely to find the possibility of inclusive adoption threatening and not wish to proceed.· In presenting my viewpoint, I wish to proceed in six stages.· They wished to proceed with demolition and a public inquiry was held.· Catholic civil servants usually had to abandon any practical political project if they wished to proceed through the ranks.· For those pupils wishing to proceed to University, two Exhibitions of £50 each were instituted in 1837.· There are strategic reasons why the governments wish these projects to proceed.· In future, some governing bodies and their LEAs may wish to proceed on a more rational basis.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY
1 formal to continue to do something that has already been planned or startedproceed with- After listening carefully to my advice, she proceeded to do the exact opposite!
- Martin marched into the shop and proceeded to hurl abuse at the girl behind the counter,
- Royston then proceeded to deny all the accusations.
- Encouraged by this success, the rebels proceeded to organise a defensive network throughout the Holy Land.
- He had bought a number of blocks on the south side of Broadway and proceeded to develop them beginning in 1910.
- He then proceeded to stomp on it, in the presence of the emperor.
- Magilla was given a large sheet of plain white paper and a felt-tip pen and proceeded to write down all our thoughts.
- Then she proceeded to insult all the people on earth before she described the happenings in room 212.
- These begin with the girly accessories of dollies and dollies' accessories and proceed to clothes and fashion.
- We proceeded to state our respective positions, which took about fifteen minutes.
- Whipping out a bank roll, he proceeded to count it out on the table.
The government was determined to proceed with the election. Before proceeding further, we must define our terms.RegisterIn everyday English, people usually say go ahead rather than proceed:· They decided to go ahead with the project.2formal to continue: Work is proceeding according to plan.3proceed to do something to do something after doing something else first – used sometimes to express surprise or annoyance: Sammy took off his coat and proceeded to undo his boots.4[always +adverb/preposition] formal to move in a particular directionproceed to/towards/into etc Passengers for Miami should proceed to gate 25. ► Do not confuse with precede (=happen before or go before): the period of illness that preceded his deathproceed against somebody phrasal verb law to begin a legal case against someoneproceed from something phrasal verb formal to happen or exist as a result of something: ideas that proceed from a disturbed state of mindproceed to something phrasal verb formal if you proceed to the next part of an activity, job etc, you do or take part in the next part of it SYN go on to: players who proceed to the finals of the competition