Precede or proceed: which is correct?
Correct
precede (to come before) / proceed (to go ahead, continue)
Avoid
proceed (for "come before")
Avoid
precede (for "continue")
Avoid
preceed
Summary
Correct: precede (to come before) / proceed (to go ahead, continue) — Avoid: proceed (for "come before") / precede (for "continue") / preceed. Precede = to come or go before something in time, order or position; proceed = to begin or continue a course of action, to move forward.
- Part of speech
- verb
- Source
- Merriam-Webster
Why
Merriam-Webster: both come from Latin cedere (to go) — pre- means before, pro- means forward. Note the spelling: proceed is one of the few -ceed verbs (with exceed and succeed), while precede takes -cede, and the noun is procedure.
Examples
- A short speech will precede the dinner.
- Please proceed to gate 12.
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