procession

procession — noun

1. a group of people, vehicles, or animals that move forward together in a line, fo

1.nounC2
Definition

a group of people, vehicles, or animals that move forward together in a line, for example during a wedding, funeral, festival, or other formal occasion

Example

The wedding procession walked slowly down the path toward the church at the garden's edge.

collocation: wedding procession

Thousands of people lined the streets to watch the carnival procession with its colourful floats.

Common collocations
  • wedding procession
  • funeral procession
  • carnival procession
  • royal procession
  • lead the procession
  • join the procession
  • procession passes
  • form a procession
  • in procession
Synonyms
  • parade

    more celebratory and informal; a parade often has music and spectators cheering, while a procession can be solemn

  • cortege

    specifically for a funeral procession; formal and less common

  • cavalcade

    a procession of vehicles or riders on horses; often grand or impressive

Usage Note

Frequently appears with an adjective describing the occasion: 'wedding procession,' 'funeral procession,' 'carnival procession,' 'royal procession.' The verb most commonly used with this sense is 'march' or 'walk' — people in a procession move together at a slow, deliberate pace.

2. a situation in which many individuals or objects follow one another in a steady

2.nounB2
Definition

a situation in which many individuals or objects follow one another in a steady flow, one after the next

Example

A steady procession of taxis pulled up outside the hotel to collect the guests.

pattern: procession of + [plural noun]

Chiara faced a long procession of job interviews before she finally received an offer.

Common collocations
  • procession of
  • steady procession
  • endless procession
  • long procession
  • constant procession
Synonyms
  • stream

    suggests a continuous flow, often of people or traffic, like 'a stream of visitors'

  • series

    more neutral and factual; 'a series of events' does not imply the same visual image of movement

  • succession

    formal; 'a succession of managers' emphasizes the order they came in

Grammar Patterns

procession + of + [plural noun]

Usage Note

Always followed by 'of' + plural noun. The subject is not literally marching in a line — it describes a rapid or continuous sequence. Common with 'a steady procession of,' 'a long procession of,' 'an endless procession of.' This sense cannot be counted — it is singular only.

Common Mistakes

There were many processions of visitors.
There was a constant procession of visitors.
This sense is always singular; it describes one ongoing series, not individual separate groups.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Procession' is the broadest term for an orderly line of people or vehicles moving together, and can be either joyful (a wedding procession) or solemn (a funeral procession). 'Parade' differs in tone — it always suggests celebration, music, and spectators cheering; a parade is a type of procession meant for public entertainment. 'Cortege' is more specific: it refers only to a funeral procession and is used mainly in formal writing. 'Cavalcade' describes a procession of riders on horses or vehicles, often with a sense of grandeur or spectacle, like a cavalcade of vintage cars at a rally. For example: 'the bride walked in the wedding procession' (not 'cortege'); 'the carnival parade filled the square with music' (not 'cavalcade'); 'the president's cavalcade of limousines passed through the city' (not 'parade').

procession ↗parade ↗cortegecavalcade

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • in procession
  • lead the procession

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

'Procession' comes from Latin 'processio', meaning 'a marching forward' or 'a going forth,' from the verb 'procedere' — 'pro-' (forward) + 'cedere' (to go, to move). It entered English in the 12th century through Old French 'procession.' The original meaning was the act of moving forward, which later narrowed to describe an orderly line of people moving forward together, especially in religious or civic ceremonies. The figurative sense (a series of things coming one after another) developed in the 16th century.