procedure

/prəˈsiːdʒə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /prəˈsiːdʒər/ (ame, ipa) · /prə-ˈsē-jər/ (ame, mw)

procedure — noun

  • proceduresingular
  • proceduresplural

1. a fixed set of steps that people follow to complete a task or handle a situation

1.名詞B2
釋義

a fixed set of steps that people follow to complete a task or handle a situation, especially when these steps are the accepted or official way to do things in a particular place.

例句

New staff at the hotel learn the check-in procedure during their first week.

collocation: check-in procedure / learn a procedure

The airport has a security procedure that requires every bag to go through a scanner.

collocation: security procedure / requires [object] to [verb]

同義詞
  • process

    a broader term that includes natural, continuous changes, not just deliberate steps

  • protocol

    more formal; used for diplomatic, medical, or military rules

  • method

    focuses on the technique or system used, not the exact sequence of steps

  • routine

    less formal; suggests steps done regularly, often without much thought

反義詞
  • improvisation

    doing something without a fixed plan or set of steps

文法句型

procedure + for + noun/gerund

用法筆記

Often followed by the preposition 'for' ('procedure for + noun/gerund'). Very common in business, legal, and administrative contexts.

常見錯誤

❌The manufacturing procedure takes three days.' (when referring to a natural transformation)。
✅The manufacturing process takes three days.
💡'procedure' is about fixed steps you follow; 'process' is about a natural or ongoing series of changes.

2. a medical treatment or operation that a doctor or surgeon carries out on a patie

2.名詞C1
釋義

a medical treatment or operation that a doctor or surgeon carries out on a patient's body to fix a health problem or find out what is wrong.

例句

Kwame needed a short procedure on his knee to repair the torn ligament.

collocation: procedure on [body part] / repair [something]

The doctor explained the whole procedure to Anjali before starting it.

collocation: explain the procedure to [someone]

同義詞
  • operation

    more specific; usually involves cutting into the body (surgery)

  • treatment

    broader; includes medicine and therapy, not just physical intervention

  • surgery

    refers specifically to cutting open the body

  • intervention

    formal; any medical action taken to improve a condition

用法筆記

Typically used with the verbs 'perform', 'undergo', 'have', or 'carry out'. Often preceded by an adjective describing the type ('minor', 'surgical', 'cosmetic', 'diagnostic').

常見錯誤

❌The nurse gave me a procedure for my stomach pain.
✅The doctor performed a procedure to examine my stomach.
💡'procedure' in the medical sense is usually performed by a doctor, not a nurse, and is not a medicine you take.

3. a block of code inside a larger software program, carrying out one particular jo

3.名詞C1
釋義

a block of code inside a larger software program, carrying out one particular job when the computer runs it.

例句

The program uses a search procedure to find the customer in the database.

collocation: search procedure / uses a procedure to [verb]

Andrés wrote a procedure that saves the file automatically every five minutes.

collocation: write a procedure / saves [something] automatically

同義詞
  • subroutine

    an older term for a reusable block of code, essentially the same as procedure

  • function

    similar but usually returns a value; common in many modern languages

  • method

    a procedure that belongs to a specific class or object in object-oriented programming

  • routine

    general term for any block of code that performs a task

用法筆記

In many modern programming languages, the term 'function' is more common than 'procedure'. 'Procedure' is still used when the code does not return a value (in contrast to a function, which does).