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Noun: process  'pró,ses or 'prow,ses [N. Amer], 'prow,ses [Brit]
  1. A particular course of action intended to achieve a result
    "it was a process of trial and error";
    - procedure
     
  2. (psychology) the performance of some composite cognitive activity; an operation that affects mental contents
    "the process of thinking"; "the cognitive process of thinking"; "the mental process of thinking";
    - cognitive process, mental process, operation, cognitive operation
     
  3. (law) a writ issued by authority of law; usually compels the defendant's attendance in a civil suit; failure to appear results in a default judgment against the defendant
    - summons
     
  4. A mental sequence of events or states that you are not directly aware of
    "the process of denial";
    - unconscious process
     
  5. A natural prolongation or projection from a part of an organism either animal or plant
    "a bony process";
    - outgrowth, appendage
     
  6. A sustained phenomenon or one marked by gradual changes through a series of states
    "the process of calcification begins later for boys than for girls"; "events now in process";
    - physical process
     
  7. (computing) a task or program that is or was executing
    "he had to kill the non-responsive process"
Verb: process  'pró,ses or 'prow,ses [N. Amer], 'prow,ses [Brit]
  1. Subject to a process or treatment, with the aim of readying for some purpose, improving, or remedying a condition
    "process cheese";
    - treat
     
  2. Deal with in a routine way
    "process a loan"; "process the applicants"
     
  3. Perform mathematical and logical operations on (data) according to programmed instructions in order to obtain the required information
    "The results of the elections were still being processed when he gave his acceptance speech"
     
  4. Institute legal proceedings against; file a suit against
    "He was warned that the district attorney would process him";
    - action, sue, litigate
     
  5. Shape, form, or improve a material
    "process iron";
    - work, work on
     
  6. Deliver a warrant or summons to someone
    "He was processed by the sheriff";
    - serve, swear out
     
  7. Walk in a procession; walk in a disciplined military manner
    "They processed into the dining room";
    - march

Derived forms: processed, processes, processing

Type of: activity, affect, bear on, bear upon, body part, calculate, care, challenge, cipher, cognition, compute, cypher, deal, deliver, figure [N. Amer], handle, impact, judicial writ, knowledge, manage, noesis, physical entity, reckon, touch, touch on, transform, transmute, transubstantiate, walk, work out, writ

Encyclopedia: Process