lexicow

proceed

/prəˈsiːd//prəˈsiːd/·verb
A column of ants comes on along a branch and does not stop. Where the branch ends and the next is too far to step to, the line does not turn back: hundreds of them lock their own bodies into a rope strung from tip to tip, and the rest walk straight across the backs of their fellows to the far branch and on toward the nest. The span sags under the weight and holds. Where there was no way across, the marchers make one of themselves; the line only ever keeps going forward.
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Definition

To proceed is to go forward — most often to carry on after a pause, a hesitation, or an interruption. A delayed ferry proceeds; a court case proceeds; once the paperwork is signed, building can proceed. It comes from Latin procedere, 'pro-' (forward) plus 'cedere' (to go) — the same 'cedere' buried inside precede, where 'prae-' means 'before'. So the two are siblings split only by a prefix: to precede is to go ahead of something in order, while to proceed is to keep going onward. It can also mean to begin and follow through, as in 'she proceeded to explain'.

Examples

  • Once the storm began to abate, the harbour reopened and the ferries were cleared to proceed.
  • She paused for a moment, then proceeded to outline the next phase of the research.
  • The judge ruled that the trial could proceed despite the missing witness.

Collocations

proceed with caution·proceed as planned·proceed to do something·before we proceed·let the matter proceed

Synonyms

continue·advance·carry on·go ahead·progress

Antonyms

halt·stop·discontinue

See also

Word family

procedure (noun)·proceedings (plural noun)·procedural (adjective)

In TOEFL & IELTS

A formal verb for processes and instructions ('proceed to the next step', 'proceed with the plan'); in TOEFL lectures it signals that a process carries on. The classic trap is the split with precede — proceed means to go forward, precede means to go before — one prefix apart and easy to misread under time pressure. Note also the noun 'proceeds' (/ˈproʊsiːdz/), meaning money raised, which is a different word entirely.