Standard Lemma guide

ongoing

adj · noun · verb · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ɒnˈɡəʊ.ɪŋ/
  • British, Southern, Standard: /ɔnˈɡəwɪŋ/
  • Northern-US, cot-caught-merger: /ɑnˈɡoʊ.ɪŋ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • /ɔnˈɡoʊ.ɪŋ/ Southern US, Midland US, without the cot–caught merger
  • Australian: /ɔnˈɡəʉ.ɪŋ/
  • New-Zealand: /ɒnˈɡɐʉ.əŋ/
  • New-Zealand: [ɔ̟nˈɡɐʉ̯.əŋ]
  • Midlands, Northern-England: /ɒnˈɡəʊ.ɪŋɡ/ without the NG-coalescence
  • Scotland: /ɔnˈɡo.ɪŋ/
  • Wales: /ɒnˈɡoː.ɪŋ/ without the toe–tow merger
  • CMU ARPABET: AA1 N G OW2 IH0 NG Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: AO1 N G OW2 IH0 NG Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Continuing, permanent, lasting.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Presently or currently happening; being in progress.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Something that is going on; a happening.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

present participle and gerund of ongo

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: form-of, gerund, participle, present, rare

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

adjective satellite

Meaning 5

currently happening

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • an ongoing economic crisis

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: on-going

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From on + going, related to the phrasal verb go on.

Across languages

Translations

63 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: продължаващ (prodǎlžavašt) — continuing, permanent
  • Finnish: jatkuva — continuing, permanent
  • French: continuel — continuing, permanent
  • French: permanent — continuing, permanent
  • French: continu — continuing, permanent
  • Galician: continuo — continuing, permanent
  • German: ständig — continuing, permanent
  • German: permanent — continuing, permanent
  • German: andauernd — continuing, permanent
  • German: anhaltend — continuing, permanent
  • German: immerwährend — continuing, permanent
  • German: fortlaufend — continuing, permanent
  • Italian: continuo — continuing, permanent
  • Korean: 지속적인 (jisokjeogin) — continuing, permanent
  • Norwegian Bokmål: pågående — continuing, permanent
  • Norwegian Bokmål: løpende — continuing, permanent
  • Polish: w toku — continuing, permanent
  • Portuguese: contínuo — continuing, permanent
  • Portuguese: em curso — continuing, permanent
  • Portuguese: em andamento — continuing, permanent
  • Romanian: neîntrerupt — continuing, permanent
  • Romanian: continuu — continuing, permanent
  • Romanian: necontenit — continuing, permanent
  • Russian: постоя́нный (postojánnyj) — continuing, permanent
  • Russian: непреры́вный (neprerývnyj) — continuing, permanent
  • Russian: продолжа́ющийся (prodolžájuščijsja) — continuing, permanent
  • Spanish: continuo — continuing, permanent
  • Spanish: continuante — continuing, permanent
  • Ukrainian: безпере́рвний (bezperérvnyj) — continuing, permanent
  • Ukrainian: безупи́нний (bezupýnnyj) — continuing, permanent
  • Bulgarian: в процес на (v proces na) — presently or currently happening; being in progress
  • Chinese Mandarin: 進行中的 /进行中的 (jìnxíng zhōng de) — presently or currently happening; being in progress
  • Danish: igangværende — presently or currently happening; being in progress
  • Dutch: lopend — presently or currently happening; being in progress
  • Dutch: in uitvoering — presently or currently happening; being in progress
  • Finnish: meneillään oleva — presently or currently happening; being in progress
  • French: actuel — presently or currently happening; being in progress
  • French: en cours — presently or currently happening; being in progress
  • Galician: actual — presently or currently happening; being in progress
  • German: laufend — presently or currently happening; being in progress
  • German: gegenwärtig stattfindend — presently or currently happening; being in progress
  • German: derzeitig stattfindend — presently or currently happening; being in progress
  • Italian: attuale — presently or currently happening; being in progress
  • Italian: in corso — presently or currently happening; being in progress
  • Korean: 진행중인 (jinhaengjung'in) — presently or currently happening; being in progress
  • Māori: moroki — presently or currently happening; being in progress
  • Norwegian Bokmål: pågående — presently or currently happening; being in progress
  • Polish: w toku — presently or currently happening; being in progress
  • Portuguese: em andamento — presently or currently happening; being in progress
  • Portuguese: corrente — presently or currently happening; being in progress
  • Portuguese: em curso — presently or currently happening; being in progress
  • Russian: происходя́щий в настоя́щее вре́мя (proisxodjáščij v nastojáščeje vrémja) — presently or currently happening; being in progress
  • Spanish: actual — presently or currently happening; being in progress
  • Spanish: en progreso — presently or currently happening; being in progress
  • Spanish: en curso — presently or currently happening; being in progress
  • Spanish: en desarrollo — presently or currently happening; being in progress
  • Spanish: presente — presently or currently happening; being in progress
  • Spanish: corriente — presently or currently happening; being in progress
  • Spanish: andante — presently or currently happening; being in progress
  • Spanish: transcurriente — presently or currently happening; being in progress
  • Spanish: en marcha — presently or currently happening; being in progress
  • Swedish: pågående — presently or currently happening; being in progress
  • Finnish: tapahtuma — something that is going on
Real reading context

ongoing in complete knowledge articles