1Begin or continue a course of action.

1. 1.1 Move forward, especially after reaching a certain point.
   the ship could proceed to Milwaukee

   Example sentencesExamples

   • He didn't finish his thought; he merely proceeded, and let his two allies follow him at their own discretion.
   • If you do, the bike proceeds forward: if you don't, it stops, you fall off, and you may hurt yourself.
   • In the corner of her eye, she could just make out the other Rangers proceeding forward as she had done.
   • Then she proceeded out the door and plopped down on the porch.
   • She hooked her arm in an unfamiliar man's as they slowly proceeded down the aisle.
   • She was the lonely walker who proceeded from Selous to Harare on her own, to ensure that the protest march reached its planned conclusion.
   • Once on the track, they proceeded in the direction of their own home.
   • The debate can not proceed at the slow pace to which academics are accustomed.
   • But a responsible political leader is not at liberty to proceed in that manner.
   • They proceeded more cautiously down the path, but for the moment the air was clear.
   • The captain explained as he and Floyd proceeded to move some rocks away from her body.
   • Fans of classic film move forward: Others should proceed cautiously.
   • We proceeded into the channel, did a tight 180 on the bow of the ship, and taxied back toward the island.
   • Glancing to the left, I proceeded forward, right in the path of a bus.
   • He paused a moment to allow his eyes to adjust to the reduced lighting then proceeded cautiously.
   • Proceeding in this fashion will truly let a manufacturer sleep well at night.
   • Whenever one discusses long-term planning in foreign policy, one must proceed with caution.
   • And it's interesting, because I was uncertain whether they were going to proceed forward.
   • She had no inkling of how to proceed, but quickly moved forward and sat down by the fire.
   • Both sides proceeded on the footing that all the terms of the sale had been agreed.
   • My new guide catches me looking back as we proceed down the corridor.

   Synonyms

   go, make one's way, advance, move, move forward, move along, progress, carry on, press on, push on
2. 1.2with infinitive Do something as a natural or seemingly inevitable next step.
   opposite the front door was a staircase, which I proceeded to climb

   Example sentencesExamples

   • The clerk retired with the magistrates when they considered their verdict and the magistrates proceeded to find McCarthy guilty.
   • The question displayed must be completed before proceeding to the next one.
   • After that, they will proceed to a more advanced lesson.
   • Kim moved forward and proceeded to do the same thing on her other cheek.
   • He looked deep into her eyes and then, proceeded to lean forward to kiss her.
   • After some time, he and the man behind the counter proceeded from a civil conversation to a heated argument in French.
   • She bundled up my bedding and proceeded to toss it down the staircase.
   • They easily proceeded from one to the next with a short pause in between; all seemed to know the order in which they would be sung.
   • Rather than reconfiguring the Court in one fell swoop, they must proceed member by member, as justices die or leave voluntarily.
   • Then Yaakov proceeds to name the area where this event took place.
   • Once that decision is made, we must then proceed concretely with its implementation, that is to say the transfer of responsibility, which will take a little time.
   • Next the student must proceed through a commitment stage (I will achieve), followed by an actual expenditure of effort.
3. 1.3Law Start a lawsuit against someone.
   he may still be able to proceed against the contractor under the common law negligence rules

   Example sentencesExamples

   • This lawsuit, should it proceed, calls for close watching.
   • Levinson will remain as a defendant and the action will proceed against him and the other three defendants.
   • On October 9, 2003 the Respondent revoked that offer and the litigation proceeded.
   • I am entitled to know those reasons before giving instructions to proceed by way of Judicial Review to set aside your decision.
   • Meanwhile, the lawsuit will proceed against the state and other individual counties with the trial set for Aug.26.
   • Thus civil law countries may use a nationality principle and proceed against a national no matter where in the world an offence is committed.
   • Legal sources said the prisoners cannot be forced to accept the writs, and that the highly publicised lawsuits cannot proceed without them.
   • A solicitor who proceeds with hopeless litigation (even if legally aided) may still be liable to pay personally the costs of the other party.
   • The recent decision that a class action suit can proceed against Wal-Mart seems to be cut from this cloth.
   • It proceeded with its lawsuit in Texas and in March 2002, this went to trial by judge and jury.
   • Multiple postings may make it futile to proceed against any given site.
   • Based on the cases cited, the action cannot proceed for want of evidence.
   • Hamilton and Windsor elected to proceed by way of litigation.
   • In annulling this decision the Court has made it difficult for the Commission to proceed against collusive practices.
   • Nothing of significance occurred following July 26, and thereafter, this litigation proceeded between the parties.
   • It is not logical, he argues to be unable to proceed against the detaining authority and yet recover damages against a third party.
   • Do you say you can proceed against Aboriginal native title claimants for trespass if they happen to wander across any part of your tenement?
   • Your Honour, what that would demonstrate is that the plaintiff proposed to seek to proceed against Baxter.
   • There are, however, a number of situations in which it is possible to proceed against the Community directly.
   • This high-stakes lawsuit is now proceeding in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, before Judge John Bates.

   Synonyms

   take to court, start proceedings against, take proceedings against, begin an action against, start an action against, sue
4. 1.4 (of an action) be started.
   negotiations must proceed without delay

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Before we proceed, we must pay money to tsunami victims so they can have clothes, food and shelter.
   • We must do it in the useful forms of employment; we must get the credit for it; and we must proceed.
   • If these provided a satisfactory outcome, open and official negotiations could then proceed involving elected representatives.
   • In their followup report, staff recommended that a moratorium proceed while a study on lodging houses took place.
   • The legitimate search for assertive and disruptive methods can and should proceed, but this must not be confused with vandalism and violence.
   • But now is the time that debating and forcing a congressional vote on an invasion of Iraq must proceed.
   • Council was prepared to allow the project to proceed but will continue to monitor it closely to ensure our community's health and safety are kept uppermost at all times.
   • Whatever the case, please acknowledge receipt of this mail via my e-mail address If your response is positive we shall proceed immediately without any delay.
   • How will the negotiations proceed and when can a conclusion be expected?
   • City council on Tuesday noted it was quite possible the project might not proceed this year because of the delays caused by the objection.
   • If this legislation is to proceed it must be enacted before the new fishing season, 1 October 2004.
   • So far, few studies have proceeded with this view in mind.
   • Just as in any other ending, careful planning must be done before proceeding.
   • Remove administrative obstacles to allow timber projects under the Northwest Forest Plan to proceed without delay.
5. 1.5 (of an action) be carried on or continued.
   as the excavation proceeds, the visible layers can be recorded and studied

   Example sentencesExamples

   • In some cases, the excavation proceeded down as far as the natural ground.
   • Negotiations proceeded almost continuously until the next day at noon, when the two sides reached a tentative settlement.
   • There will be further opportunities to view the house as dismantling continues and reconstruction proceeds at the new site.
   • As the test proceeded, additional wetting continued to appear at the exposed interior face of the brick and several points of incursion on the brick were noted.
   • Admission to the study proceeded in a staged manner.
   • It did fall 12 votes short in the motion to proceed to continue the debate.
   • I know the joint work between the Polish command and the Bulgarian contingent has been proceeding very well.
   • The local environmental study could've been proceeding and they decided that it was to be a complete hold on it.
   • But he denied reports on Chad's latest threat, saying bilateral co-operation continued to proceed.
   • A poem generally starts along a continuum that proceeds from syllable to word to phrase to line to stanza.
   • As his analysis proceeds, Bartolini continually makes interesting and often unexpected connections.
   • The line of reasoning proceeds as follows: Science is a cumulative activity.
   • The litigation proceeded through pleadings, examinations for discovery and pre-trial hearings with great difficulty.
   • Has there been any commentary on this litigation as it has proceeded through the courts, any written law review or other comments on the case?
   • As the excavation proceeded, there turned out to be five swords.
   • As taxonomic study proceeds on the assumption that evolution has taken place, it is much involved with phylogenetics, which deals with the description of evolutionary relationships.
6. 1.6 Originate from.
   his claim that all power proceeded from God

   Example sentencesExamples

   • In assessing the global situation, Trotsky proceeded from the relationship between Europe and America.
   • In the conduct of diplomacy, king and minister proceeded from different assumptions.
   • All knowledge, he consistently maintained, proceeded from Scripture.
   • The observed linear behavior of the DNA extension with time was interpreted to mean growth proceeded from a single nucleus.
   • The spirit of rebellion proceeded from the new world back to the old.
   • But, to Toulmin, this act of homage proceeded from a delusion.
   • That her strange outburst of familiarity proceeded from some strong motive seemed to be more than probable.
   • The fossil record shows the development of life-forms that have proceeded from simple to complex over geological time.
   • These unique characteristics are seen as indicators that the individual has a special standing in the society, that their very creation proceeded from a point of power.
   • His three main goals proceeded from this principal objective.
   • All proceeded from a premise that equated modernization with Westernization.
   • The sound that proceeded from Casey's mouth was something between a giggle and a snort.
   • That other machine may, in like manner, have proceeded from a former machine: nor does that alter the case; the contrivance must have had a contriver.

   Synonyms

   originate, have its origin, spring, stem, come, derive, arise, issue, flow, emanate, descend, result, follow, ensue, begin, emerge, start