English · Word Candidate

underway

/ʌndəˈweɪ/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: underways

Sense 1

Meaning · English

In motion, in progress; being done or carried out; on a journey.

Adverb

Examples

The next wave, well underway, is shipping back-office business tasks overseas, ...

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Meaning · English

A road, track, path, or street for going under another way or obstacle; an underpass.

Noun

Examples

As Minneapolis grew, the city demanded that M&StL construct "underways" beneath city roadways.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Meaning · English

An underground passage, subway, tunnel.

Noun

Examples

There are in fact many such subterranean underways in Germany, speeding traffic beneath bergs, burgs and villages and into and around and under big city downtowns ...

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “underway” mean?

In motion, in progress; being done or carried out; on a journey.

Is “underway” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.