procedure

noun pro·ce·dure \ prə-ˈsē-jər \

Updated on: 12 May 2018

Definition of procedure

1 a : a particular way of accomplishing something or of acting

b : a step in a procedure

2 a : a series of steps followed in a regular definite order

legal procedure

a surgical procedure

b : a set of instructions for a computer that has a name by which it can be called into action

3 a : a traditional or established way of doing things

b : protocol 3a

See procedure defined for English-language learners

See procedure defined for kids

Examples of procedure in a Sentence

Installing a car battery is a simple procedure.
What is the procedure for applying for a loan?
New employees are taught the proper safety procedures.
We must follow proper court procedure.
An identity check is standard police procedure.
the procedure for treating a burn
The procedure will take two hours.

Recent Examples of procedure from the Web

And while pretrial discovery could be risky for the government, there are procedures that allow for the sharing of sensitive information that could limit, with court approval, how much the defense could see, analysts said.

— Washington Post, "Indicted Russian firm tied to ‘Putin’s chef,’ Internet Research Agency set to plead not guilty in U.S. court," 9 May 2018
The commonwealth of Massachusetts has once again signaled the imminent arrival of one-stop shopping for consumers who want to know the price of a common medical test or procedure.

— tom delbanco, STAT, "Transparency on quality and price will transform medicine," 9 May 2018
During that time, Bonawitz traveled to Baltimore to rehearse the complex, staged procedure.

— marie mccullough, Philly.com, "Cooper surgeon helped with one of the world's first genital transplants," 8 May 2018
There would be a number of hurdles to any defamation lawsuit, including that the CBA might preempt such a lawsuit (a court may consider the player’s grievance procedure under Article 43 to be a final resolution for a defamation claim).

— michael mccann, SI.com, "Can the NFL or Its Teams Legally Require Players to Stand for the Anthem? NFLPA Doesn't Think So," 8 May 2018
Yet as corruption experts know well, turning such promises into reality requires more than government reforms or new election procedures.

— The Christian Science Monitor, "What happens after an anti-corruption victory," 8 May 2018
Heintze would then oversee changes to procedures within the Police Department to address concerns that the department's search practices unfairly target African-Americans and Latinos.

— mary spicuzza, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "The cost of Milwaukee's stop-and-frisk settlement with ACLU balloons to more than $6M," 8 May 2018
Regarding the merits of the investigation, the college district's spokesman, Matt Hasson, said, the district is committed to following its policies and procedures which ensure a fair, timely process for complainants and respondents.

— anne ryman, azcentral, "Rio Salado College vice president denies allegations of sexual harassment," 8 May 2018
Profuse post-operative bleeding forced the doctor to perform another procedure that did not fix the damage, prosecutors said.

— crimesider staff, CBS News, "New York doctor pleads guilty in woman's botched abortion death," 7 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'procedure.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.