I read this sentence in the book Revolution 2020:
We proceeded to Mughal Sarai to meet a retired chemical professor.
In this sentence, it seems like proceeded means "went", but I'm not sure. When I looked up the word in a dictionary, there were several meanings listed. Cambridge, for example, lists three:
- to continue as planned : His lawyers have decided not to proceed with the case.
- to do something after you have done something else : She sat down and proceeded to tell me about her skiing holiday.
formalto move forward or travel in a particular direction : Passengers for Madrid should proceed to gate 26 for boarding.
The closest meaning seems to be the third one, but the author of the book isn't using this in a formal context, so I'm wondering if my assumptions are right.
Is this correct? Can proceeded be used to mean "went", even outside of a formal setting?
Best Answer
First, it is spelled as "Proceed" and the past tense is "Proceeded" which means "to go on" or "to continue".
As Collins says:
So, in the sentence you quote:
it sounds like a group of people are on some kind of journey or adventure, and the next step of the trek was to travel to Mughal Sarai.