(law) the institution of a sequence of steps by which legal judgments are invoked
"The lawyer filed a motion to formally commence the proceeding against the corporation."
The act of one who proceeds, or who prosecutes a design or transaction
"The defendant challenged the validity of every step in the criminal proceeding before it reached the jury."
In plain English: A proceeding is an official event, such as a court hearing or meeting, where something important gets discussed and decided on.
"The meeting will begin with an opening speech before proceeding to discuss the budget."
Usage: Use proceeding to refer to an official event like a court session or conference rather than the general action of moving forward. Do not confuse this noun with its verb form when describing how something happens step-by-step.
present participle of proceed
"The committee is proceeding to vote on the new budget after hearing all the arguments."
In plain English: To proceed means to move forward with an action or continue doing something you have already started.
"The meeting will proceed without any further discussion after this point."
Proceeding is formed by adding the suffix "-ing" to the verb proceed. The word entered English from Old French and originally meant a formal legal document or an official act of going forward.