Meanings
adjectiveongoing (not comparable)
alternative nonstandard on-going
- not comparableContinuing, permanent, lasting.
"Major refurbishments will be made over the next ten years. We have nine wooden viaducts along the line - it's an ongoing programme," he says.
2020 August 12, Andrew Mourant, “The tide is turning for a Victorian wonder”, in Rail, page 50 - not comparablePresently or currently happening; being in progress.
nounongoing (plural ongoings)
plural ongoings · alternative nonstandard on-going
- Something that is going on; a happening.
We shall not be concerned here with the specific electrical or chemical changes that take place, but only with the fact of continuous ongoings as one of the elements for building a format of dynamic structure.
1961, Floyd H. Allport, Theories of perception and the concept of structure
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From on + going, related to the phrasal verb go on.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian продължаващ, в процес на
- продължаващ (prodălžavašt)continuing, permanent
- в процес на (v proces na)presently or currently happening; being in progress
Chinese Mandarin 進行中的 /进行中的
- 進行中的 /进行中的 (jìnxíng zhōng de)presently or currently happening; being in progress
Danish igangværende
- igangværendepresently or currently happening; being in progress
Dutch lopend, in uitvoering
- lopendpresently or currently happening; being in progress
- in uitvoeringpresently or currently happening; being in progress
Finnish jatkuva, meneillään oleva
- jatkuvacontinuing, permanent
- meneillään olevapresently or currently happening; being in progress
- tapahtumasomething that is going on
French continuel, permanent
- continuelcontinuing, permanent
- permanentcontinuing, permanent
- continucontinuing, permanent
- actuelpresently or currently happening; being in progress
- en courspresently or currently happening; being in progress
German ständig, permanent
- ständigcontinuing, permanent
- permanentcontinuing, permanent
- andauerndcontinuing, permanent
- anhaltendcontinuing, permanent
- immerwährendcontinuing, permanent
- fortlaufendcontinuing, permanent
- laufendpresently or currently happening; being in progress
- gegenwärtig stattfindendpresently or currently happening; being in progress
- derzeitig stattfindendpresently or currently happening; being in progress
Italian continuo, attuale
- continuocontinuing, permanent
- attualepresently or currently happening; being in progress
- in corsopresently or currently happening; being in progress
Korean 지속적인, 진행중인
- 지속적인 (jisokjeogin)continuing, permanent
- 진행중인 (jinhaengjung'in)presently or currently happening; being in progress
Māori moroki
- morokipresently or currently happening; being in progress
Norwegian Bokmål pågående, løpende
- pågåendecontinuing, permanent
- løpendecontinuing, permanent
- pågåendepresently or currently happening; being in progress
Polish w toku, w toku
- w tokucontinuing, permanent
- w tokupresently or currently happening; being in progress
Portuguese contínuo, em curso
- contínuocontinuing, permanent
- em cursocontinuing, permanent
- em andamentocontinuing, permanent
- em andamentopresently or currently happening; being in progress
- correntepresently or currently happening; being in progress
- em cursopresently or currently happening; being in progress
Romanian neîntrerupt, continuu
- neîntreruptcontinuing, permanent
- continuucontinuing, permanent
- necontenitcontinuing, permanent
Russian постоя́нный, непреры́вный
- постоя́нный (postojánnyj)continuing, permanent
- непреры́вный (neprerývnyj)continuing, permanent
- продолжа́ющийся (prodolžájuščijsja)continuing, permanent
- происходя́щий в настоя́щее вре́мя (proisxodjáščij v nastojáščeje vrémja)presently or currently happening; being in progress
Spanish continuo, continuante
- continuocontinuing, permanent
- continuantecontinuing, permanent
- actualpresently or currently happening; being in progress
- en progresopresently or currently happening; being in progress
- en cursopresently or currently happening; being in progress
- en desarrollopresently or currently happening; being in progress
- presentepresently or currently happening; being in progress
- corrientepresently or currently happening; being in progress
- andantepresently or currently happening; being in progress
- transcurrientepresently or currently happening; being in progress
- en marchapresently or currently happening; being in progress
Swedish pågående
- pågåendepresently or currently happening; being in progress
Ukrainian безпере́рвний, безупи́нний
- безпере́рвний (bezperérvnyj)continuing, permanent
- безупи́нний (bezupýnnyj)continuing, permanent
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
ongoing. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ongoing
MLA
“ongoing.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ongoing. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ongoing,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ongoing.
Source: ongoing on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.