under way

prepositional phrase

In operation, in progress, commenced.

“The show finally got under way, just 10 minutes late.”

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Meanings

prepositional phrase

alternative underway

  1. idiomaticIn operation, in progress, commenced.

    A dearth of signalmen and the high cost of labour is hastening an elimination process that already was well under way before the second world war.

    1956 May, C. H. Betts, “St. Pancras Tunnel Signalbox”, in Railway Magazine, page 320
    3 more examples

    The All Blacks drove upfield, using up the remaining moments, and when Joubert blew for another French infringement, the biggest party in New Zealand's history was under way.

    2011 October 23, Tom Fordyce, “2011 Rugby World Cup final: New Zealand 8-7 France”, in BBC Sport

    Hidden behind thickets of acronyms and gorse bushes of detail, a new great game is under way across the globe. Some call it geoeconomics, but it's geopolitics too. The current power play consists of an extraordinary range of countries simultaneously sitting down to negotiate big free trade and investment agreements.

    2013 July 19, Timothy Garton Ash, “Where Dr Pangloss meets Machiavelli”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 6, page 18

    SWR has decided to withdraw it with immediate effect and cease the programme of modifications that were under way, to avoid incurring further costs to the taxpayer to reintroduce and operate these trains.

    2021 May 21, Richard Clinnick, “Fleet News: SWR's termination of '442' refurbishment saves £24m”, in RAIL, number 931, page 29
  2. nauticalMoving through the water; not anchored, moored, aground, or beached.
  3. Into motion, into its course.

    The show finally got under way, just 10 minutes late.

Translations

Afrikaans varend, onderweg
  • varendmoving through water
  • onderwegmoving through water
Dutch op weg
  • op wegin operation or in process
Finnish toiminnassa, käynnissä
  • toiminnassain operation or in process
  • käynnissäin operation or in process
  • tekeilläin operation or in process
  • työn allain operation or in process
  • kulussamoving through water
French en cours, avec erre
  • en coursin operation or in process
  • avec erremoving through water
Greek σε εξέλιξη
  • σε εξέλιξη (se exélixi)in operation or in process
Polish w toku, na wodzie
  • w tokuin operation or in process
  • na wodziemoving through water
Russian иду́т, иде́т
  • иду́т (idút)in operation or in process
  • иде́т (idét)in operation or in process
Swedish på väg
  • på vägin operation or in process
Cite this entry
APA

under way. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/under%20way

MLA

“under way.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/under%20way. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “under way,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/under%20way.

Source: under way on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.