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pro·cess | \ ˈprä-ˌses 
, ˈprō-, -səs \
, ˈprō-, -səs \ plural processes\ ˈprä-ˌse-səz , ˈprō- , -sə- , -ˌsēz \
, ˈprō- , -sə- , -ˌsēz \Definition of process
(Entry 1 of 4)
b : something going on : proceeding
2a(1) : a natural phenomenon marked by gradual changes that lead toward a particular result
the process of growth
(2) : a continuing natural or biological activity or function
such life processes as breathing
b : a series of actions or operations conducing to an end especially : a continuous operation or treatment especially in manufacture
3a : the whole course of proceedings in a legal action
b : the summons, mandate, or writ used by a court to compel the appearance of the defendant in a legal action or compliance with its orders
4 : a prominent or projecting part of an organism or organic structure
a bone process a nerve cell process
5 : conk entry 6
process
verb (1)processed; processing; processes
Definition of process (Entry 2 of 4)
b(1) : to take out a summons against
(2) : to serve a summons on
2a : to subject to a special process or treatment (as in the course of manufacture or film development)
b(1) : to subject to or handle through an established usually routine set of procedures process insurance claims
(2) : to integrate sensory information received so that an action or response is generated
the brain processes visual images relayed from the retina
(3) : to subject to examination or analysis
computers process data
c : to work (hair) into a conk
process
adjectiveDefinition of process (Entry 3 of 4)
1 : treated or made by a special process especially when involving synthesis or artificial modification
2 : made by or used in a mechanical or photomechanical duplicating process
3 : of or involving illusory effects usually introduced during processing of the film
process
verb (2)pro·cess | \ prə-ˈses \
\processed; processing; processes
Definition of process (Entry 4 of 4)
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Examples of process in a Sentence
Noun
How does the election process work?
Learning a foreign language can be a long process.
We're remodeling our house. The whole process is expected to take a few months.
Breathing and the circulation of blood are life processes.
a bony process on the foot
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Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Kimble would only say that the process is on schedule.
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BostonGlobe.com, "The Scripps National Spelling Bee will have fewer participants next year. Whether it will have fewer champions remains to be seen.," 11 Dec. 2019 Kimble would only say that the process is on schedule.
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Washington Post, "National Spelling Bee will have fewer wild cards next year," 10 Dec. 2019 The process was detailed in August in Scientific Reports.
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Jillian Kramer, Scientific American, "Single-Sex Prawns Could Aid Fight against Snail-Borne Disease," 10 Dec. 2019 After nearly 400 years of American higher education, the admissions process is opaque, with no guarantees and myriad exceptions.
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Chris Quintana, USA TODAY, "This Harvard grad has made millions on U.S. college admissions for international students," 9 Dec. 2019 The process is extensive and involves multiple revisions and several formal tastings.
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Jennifer Nalewicki, Smithsonian, "This Restaurant in Sweden Offers Every Meal Served at the Nobel Banquet Since 1922," 9 Dec. 2019 The process was simple: Take a bucket of ice water, dump it over your head, post a video on social media and challenge others to do the same or make a donation to charity.
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Mark Pratt, courant.com, "Ice bucket challenge inspiration Pete Frates dies at 34," 9 Dec. 2019 The process was simple: Take a bucket of ice water, dump it over your head, post a video on social media and challenge others to do the same or make a donation to charity.
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chicagotribune.com, "Pete Frates, one of the inspirations for the Ice Bucket Challenge, dies at 34," 9 Dec. 2019 The Daily Star’s Greg Hansen wonders why Arizona football fans should heed athletic director Dave Heeke’s request to ‘trust the process’ when the process is trending in the wrong directions.
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oregonlive, "To win the Rose Bowl the Oregon Ducks need to play like they did in Santa Clara: Issues & Answers," 8 Dec. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb The plants’ stalks can be woven into fabric and their seeds processed into oils used in food, but they cannot be made into drugs.
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BostonGlobe.com, "Hemp industry is cleared to do business with banks - The Boston Globe," 4 Dec. 2019 The plants’ stalks can be woven into fabric and their seeds processed into oils used in food, but they cannot be made into drugs.
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Emily Flitter, New York Times, "Hemp Industry Is Cleared to Do Business With Banks," 3 Dec. 2019 It can be eaten raw as a snack, roasted, or processed into other foods.
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National Geographic, "We’re turning to offbeat foods to survive a harsher climate," 3 Dec. 2019 The suspect was arrested for shoplifting and processed into Bellaire Jail.
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Houston Chronicle, "Bellaire Police Department weekly report," 25 Nov. 2019 Cutting off the mature fruit of palms, which is later processed into edible oil, pays about $40 a week.
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Washington Post, "Central American offered asylum in Guatemala opts for home," 24 Nov. 2019 But State Attorney’s spokeswoman Trei Johnson said that prosecutors do not believe Littleford had any direct contact with evidence, only transporting evidence after it was already processed.
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Grace Toohey, orlandosentinel.com, "Orange sheriff’s evidence tech resigns as probe finds she lied after vehicle crash. It’s not the 1st time," 20 Nov. 2019 Authorities are alarmed by the size and potency of the drug, which can be processed into powder, rock, capsules, pills and other forms.
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Kieran Nicholson, The Denver Post, "Brick-sized amount of fentanyl found in Denver raises alarms about overdoses," 5 Nov. 2019 The cashew has a buttery taste and texture that lends itself particularly well to being processed into a large number of dairy substitutes.
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Melissa Howell, Quartz, "Cashew milk is saving animals—but it’s hurting humans," 29 Oct. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Knowing that people process things differently and that's OK.
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Gabe Bergado, Teen Vogue, ""Unbelievable" Actor Danielle Macdonald on How the Series Puts an Important Focus on Survivors of Trauma," 13 Sep. 2019 The Google Assistant, for example, can already now process multiple requests at once.
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Edward C. Baig, USA TODAY, "5G to AR: Here are 7 technologies to watch in 2018," 2 Jan. 2018 People process things differently and at different rates.
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Richard Asa, chicagotribune.com, "When your ex finds someone new," 31 Aug. 2017 Around 80% of people process language on the left, or the analytical, side of the brain, Dr. Pantelyat says, and everyone processes music on both sides of the brain.
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Heidi Mitchell, WSJ, "Does Listening to Music Improve Your Focus?," 26 July 2017 Process garlic and shallots until finely chopped, then stir into tomato mixture.
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Jill Wendholt Silva, kansascity, "Five easy (and, shhh, healthy) recipes for the Fourth," 3 July 2017 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Most medical experts will tell you that weight loss and maintenance is about making a personal food-intake change, whether that’s decreasing portion sizes or cutting out super processed food and added sugar.
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Alex Beggs, Bon Appétit, "Real Talk: No Workout Is Going to Undo Your Thanksgiving Dinner," 26 Nov. 2019 Since 2015, REI Co-op has been encouraging people to skip shopping (by closing its stores and not processing online orders, but still paying employees) and instead Opt Outside on Black Friday.
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Chelsey Lewis, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Opt Outside on Black Friday in Wisconsin at cleanup events and with free entrance to some county parks," 21 Nov. 2019 Reindeer meat by law must be processed by licensed slaughterhouses run by competing beef farmers, who leave the reindeer outside, losing weight, and then are slow to distribute or market the meat, depressing the value the Sami receive.
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Juliana Hanle, Scientific American, "The Fight for the Reindeer," 18 Nov. 2019 What is produced will be for export to companies around the world, where it will be processed into cannabis products.
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Emma Vickers, Quartz Africa, "The small African kingdom that’s perfect for growing cannabis, but maybe not for regulating it," 9 Nov. 2019 Another factor will be a decision by the Florida Supreme Court on the state’s mandate that licensed operators must grow, process and sell cannabis products.
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Marcia Heroux Pounds, sun-sentinel.com, "Florida forecast to be a top state for legal cannabis sales growth, new report says," 1 Nov. 2019 After the grapes have been picked, the vineyard needs power to process them and irrigate.
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Ivan Penn, New York Times, "California Endures More Blackouts; PG&E Tower Gets Scrutiny in Fire," 24 Oct. 2019 The checks and applications were turned over to a licensing and application specialist who is supposed to process the application and turn the check over to a processing technician for deposit.
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Dave Altimari, courant.com, "Audit of state Department of Agriculture discovers more than $250K in uncashed checks locked in safe," 9 Oct. 2019 After they’ve been processed, the bricks will be divvied up among nonprofits and charitable organizations.
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Wired, "Now It’s a Snap to Donate Your Old Lego Bricks," 8 Oct. 2019
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'process.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for process
process
noun English Language Learners Definition of process
: a series of actions that produce something or that lead to a particular result
: a series of changes that happen naturally
medical : something that sticks out of something else
See the full definition for process in the English Language Learners Dictionary
process
nounpro·cess | \ ˈprä-ˌses , ˈprō- \
, ˈprō- \Kids Definition of process
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : a series of actions, motions, or operations leading to some result
the manufacturing process
2 : a series of changes that occur naturally
the growth process
process
verbprocessed; processing
Kids Definition of process (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : to change by a special treatment
The fruit is picked and processed for shipment.
2 : to take care of according to a routine
His job is to process insurance claims.
3 : to take in and organize for use
Computers process data.
process
nounpro·cess | \ ˈpräs-ˌes , ˈprōs- , -əs \
, ˈprōs- , -əs \Medical Definition of process
1a : a natural progressively continuing operation or development marked by a series of gradual changes that succeed one another in a relatively fixed way and lead toward a particular result or end
the process of growth the process of digestion
b : a natural continuing activity or function
such life processes as breathing and the circulation of the blood
2 : a prominent or projecting part of an organism or organic structure
a bone process a nerve cell process
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process
nounpro·cess | \ ˈprä-ˌses, ˈprō- \
\Legal Definition of process
1 : a continuous operation, art, or method especially in manufacture
whoever invents or discovers any new and useful process…may obtain a patent therefor — U.S. Code
2a : procedure sense 1 — see also abuse of process, due process
b : a means (as a summons) used to compel a defendant to appear in court broadly : a means by which a court acquires or exercises jurisdiction over a person or property — see also mesne process — compare notice, service
Note: In civil procedure, service of a summons on a defendant is considered constitutionally sufficient process, although usually a copy of the complaint must also be provided according to the local rule of procedure.
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Time Traveler for process
The first known use of process was in the 14th century
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