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Glite Dictionary
underway

underway

188 4.1
Happening right now
  • adjective
  • /ˌʌndərˈweɪ/
: en marcha
  • The project is finally underway after months of planning.
  • currently underway
  • already underway
  • efforts are underway

And that's when production got underway with the film.

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Examples

  • The Conference Championship game is underway.

    Two for the Money (2005)

  • Yeah, it's just over two minutes until this race gets underway again.

    F1 (2025)

  • So, so this is underway right now.

  • Let me just get underway and we'll get going.

    Gregory B. Sadler - That Philosophy Guy

  • And we are underway here in the third quarter.

    80 for Brady (2023)

  • By the time the service was actually underway, the church was less than a quarter full.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • And ambitious plans are underway for next year.

    Harvard University

  • Significant changes are underway in how people live, work, and interact.

    Academic text (2008)

  • After dealing with many early challenges, the MATH Study was fully underway in 2008.

    Academic text (2011)

  • The problem is so serious that a movement is currently underway to change the college entrance examination system.

    Academic text (1999)

Synonyms

ongoing
vsunderway
440 3.5

Still happening and not finished

is about something happening now, not necessarily long lasting
active
vsunderway
232 1.0

Operating now and not stopped

applies to any event happening now, not only organizations or processes
under way
vsunderway
156 3.0

Already started and continuing now

is any activity happening now, not only after a clear start
work in progress
vsunderway
47 3.4

A project that is not finished yet

applies to any ongoing action, not only unfinished projects
afoot
vsunderway
32 7.2

Happening now or being planned for the near future

means something is taking place now rather than only being planned
in operation
vsunderway
27 3.2

Working now and serving its purpose

covers general events happening now, not only functioning systems
going
vsunderway
4 3.2

Operating and able to continue as a business

is about any happening now, not limited to commercial operation

Antonyms

finished
767 1.0

Complete and no longer needing work

unstarted
1 4.3

Not yet begun

How Advanced

completed
109 1.0
underway
188 4.1
beginning
30 1.0
unstarted
1 4.3

Surface Forms

underway positive

Morphology

underway = way (semi-transparent) = under + way

The components 'under' + 'way' are visible, but the idiomatic sense 'in progress' is a metaphorical development from the original nautical sense and not strictly compositional for all learners. [Postprocessing: moved 'under' from base_words to prefix]

Etymology

Underway comes from the old sailing phrase under way, used when a ship was 'moving' and not stopped. So, underway now means something is 'in progress' or already started.