ENGLISH
REFERENCE

on the way

prep. phr..
B1 Intermediate Oxford

prep. phr.. traveling toward a place or happening soon. You use this when you are currently moving to a destination or when something is expected to arrive.

prep. phr.. indicating a state of transit toward a destination or a temporal proximity to an event. It functions as an adverbial or predicative phrase to denote progression or imminent arrival.


SIMPLE

I am on the way to your house now.

CONTEXTUAL

We stopped at a small petrol station on the way to the coast to buy some snacks.

COMPLEX

With several major infrastructure projects already on the way, the city expects a significant economic boost by the end of the fiscal year.

Usage

often followed by 'to' plus a destination, or used alone to mean 'coming soon'.

Teaching tip

contrast with 'in the way' (blocking something); 'on the way' focuses on the journey or the timeline of an event.

Pitfall

I am in the way to the office.I am on the way to the office.use 'on' for travel; 'in the way' means you are physically blocking someone's path.

© 2026 English Reference