Word family noun progress progression progressive adjective progressive verb progress adverb progressively
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishprogresspro‧gress1 /ˈprəʊɡres $ ˈprɑː-/ ●●● S2 W2 noun [uncountable] 1 PROGRESSthe process of getting better at doing something, or getting closer to finishing or achieving somethingprogress of The police are disappointed by the slow progress of the investigation.progress in There has been significant progress in controlling heart disease.progress towards We are making steady progress towards a peaceful settlement.progress on Little progress has been made on human rights issues.2 slow or steady movement somewhere We made good progress despite the snow.progress through They watched the ship’s slow progress through the heavy seas.3 SSPROGRESSchange which is thought to lead to a better society, because of developments in science or fairer methods of social organization Mankind is destroying the planet, all in the name of progress (=because people want progress). Under communism, nothing was allowed to get in the way of the great march of progress.4 → in progressGRAMMAR: Countable or uncountable?• Progress is an uncountable noun: She is making good progress. ✗Don’t say: She is making a good progress. • Progress is not used with ‘a’.COLLOCATIONSverbsmake progressThe country has made significant economic progress.hinder somebody’s progress (=make it slower)Language problems might hinder a child’s progress at school.achieve progressThe talks ended with no real progress having been achieved.check (on) somebody’s progressA social worker calls regularly to check on the children’s progress.follow/monitor/chart somebody’s progress (=keep checking it)Throughout the night, doctors charted his progress.assess/evaluate/review somebody’s progressWe appraise the work and evaluate each student’s individual progress.adjectivesslowThe task remains difficult and progress has been slow.steadySteady progress has been made towards our objectives.goodHe is out of hospital and making good progress.rapidThe investigation is making rapid progress.significant/real progressSignificant progress has been made in reducing nuclear weapons.great progress Scientists have made great progress in the last four years.substantial/considerable progress2007 was a year of substantial progress for the company.satisfactory progressThe two students who fell behind are now making satisfactory progress. THESAURUSprogress noun [uncountable] /ˈprəʊɡres $ ˈprɑː-/ the process of getting better at doing something, or getting closer to finishing or achieving somethinga test of the students’ progressWe have made good progress towards meeting our objectives.advance noun [countable usually plural] /ədˈvɑːns $ ədˈvæns/ a discovery, invention, or change that brings progressthe technological advances of the twentieth centuryadvances in scientific knowledgeIn recent years there have been enormous economic and social advances.breakthrough noun [countable] /ˈbreɪkθruː/ an important discovery or achievement that makes progress possible, especially one that happens suddenly after a long period of tryingScientists have described the discovery as a major breakthrough.The breakthrough in the investigation came when police found a stolen car.make headway to make progress towards achieving something – used especially when it is difficult to make progress After several months of discussion, the committee had made little headway.no progressstalemate/deadlock /ˈsteɪlmeɪt/ [countable, uncountable] a situation in which no further progress can be made because two groups or organizations cannot find a way to end a disagreementThe negotiations ended in deadlock.At that point the strike appeared to have reached a stalemate.the year-long political deadlock between the two parties impasse /æmˈpɑːs $ ˈɪmpæs/ [singular] formal a situation in which progress has stopped completely, especially because people cannot agree on what to do nextThe continuing impasse over the budget.The situation seemed to have reached an impasse.grind to a halt to slowly stop making any progressThe economy seems to be grinding to a halt.It was clear that the peace talks had ground to a halt. Examples from the Corpus
progress• Progress in technology has changed people's lives dramatically.• a progress report• Any progress in cancer research may help to save lives.• In fact, the scientists were making considerable progress.• I would then return to a classroom where a historically rich conversation was in progress.• Yes, we've made progress. But there's so much more to do.• The older generation is simply afraid of progress.• Bad weather has prevented progress on retrieving the plane from the sea.• Having made real progress in establishing democratic governments and free markets, they seek to professionalize their military establishments.• The new national tests are intended to keep a closer check on children's progress.• I agree wholeheartedly that parents need to be informed of their children's progress.• We are very pleased with your son's progress at school.• Spencer insisted that free enterprise was the key to social progress.• Despite all the adversity, when the first report card came out, Casey had actually made some progress.• The two sides are making some progress toward a compromise.• We are making steady progress towards equal status for men and women.• Can anyone identify the driving forces behind such progress?• It is assumed that technical progress is purely labour-augmenting.• Technological progress has allowed people to build immensely tall skyscrapers.• We must ensure that they receive ample opportunities to improve their skills and monitor their progress.made good progress• Dawn made good progress, and was soon able to stand up.• We have made good progress on education.• Sasbach was no exception and I made good progress with Pascal's Pensées.• In her flat and comfortable lace-up shoes, she made good progress on her daily outing.• After that they made better progress and managed to slip undetected out into the emptiness.• They made good progress and some were soon scaling the dominating ridge leading to Chunuk Bair.• Initially, partly sheltered by the great landmass of North Uist, we made good progress southwards.• We made good progress, and by mid-afternoon another line was complete.progresspro‧gress2 /prəˈɡres/ ●●○ verb 1 PROGRESS[intransitive] to improve, develop, or achieve things so that you are then at a more advanced stage OPP regress I asked the nurse how my son was progressing.progress to She started with a cleaning job, and progressed to running the company.progress towards We must progress towards full integration of Catholic and Protestant pupils in Ireland.progress beyond Last year the team didn’t progress beyond the opening round.2 [intransitive, transitive] if an activity such as work or a project progresses, or you progress it, it continues Work on the ship progressed quickly. We’re hoping to progress the Lane project more quickly next week.3 [intransitive] if time or an event progresses, time passes As the meeting progressed, Nina grew more and more bored. Time is progressing, so I’ll be brief.4 [intransitive]PROGRESS to move forward Our taxi seemed to be progressing very slowly.→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
progress• Leaving a glowing trail over one thousand kilometers long, it broke into several large pieces as it progressed.• So far the building work has progressed according to plan.• The work is progressing ahead of schedule and should be completed within three weeks, she said.• As the year progressed and the managers interpersonal judgment improved, we sAw how they gained self-confidence.• Science progresses by learning which similarities are the key to which sequences.• As the war progressed, it became increasingly difficult to buy fresh food.• As the meeting progressed Jack became more and more bored.• Repair work has progressed more quickly than expected.• And her swimming is progressing rapidly, too.• Both of the men progressed slowly up the stairs.• My method throughout was to begin faintly, after which I progressed to more definite drawing in a suitable colour or tone.• Bob was a very good football coach, and the team progressed very well.• And people rarely progress without setbacks.progress beyond• An unmusical person will be unable to progress beyond a certain point, nomatterhow many piano lessons he has.• Unfortunately, the prospects for progress beyond an apparent willingness to agree to share responsibility for Hebron are extremely poor.• She must face that possibility, and take her chance, if their relationship was to progress beyond its present stage.• To progress beyond small simple systems requires the writing of what amounts to a customized data-base system.• The majority of people never progress beyond the householder stage.• Most never really progress beyond the photo opportunity stage of involvement.• Now for the first time the ferret can progress beyond the rabbit and get at its head.• Despite heroic efforts by the scientists, these virgin-born turkeys rarely progressed beyond the stage of simple embryos.From Longman Business Dictionaryprogresspro‧gress1 /prəˈgres/ verb [intransitive]1to develop over a period of time, becoming better or more completeThe joint venture is progressing faster than expected.progress toWe haven’t yet progressed to the negotiating table with any US companies.2if a situation progresses, it continues to happenAs the afternoon progressed, prices nosed upward in light trading.→ See Verb tableprogresspro‧gress2 /ˈprəʊgresˈprɑː-/ noun [uncountable]1the process of improving something, or getting closer to finishing itThe company has made significant financial progress this year.We’re pleased with the progress of the capital-raising effort.progress toward(s)There has been little progress toward an agreement.He e-mails aprogress report back to head office each month.2in progress if a plan, project etc is in progress, it has started but is not finished yetThere are only faint signs that an economic recovery is in progress.Gaston & Snow claims about $37 million in accounts receivable andwork in progress.Origin progress1 (1400-1500) Latin past participle of progredi “to go forward” 