ongoing
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
happening right now or continuing over a long period of time.
presently in progress or continuing without interruption; often used to describe investigations, debates, or maintenance.
Simple“The police have an ongoing investigation into the robbery that happened last week.”
In context“Despite several rounds of negotiations, there is an ongoing dispute between the union and the management regarding the new pension scheme.”
UsageUsually placed before the noun it describes.
Synonyms
Usage ongoing commitment · ongoing conflict · ongoing full-scale
“Green roofs can cool buildings and cities, reduce energy use, manage stormwater, and support biodiversity, but require ongoing care.”
“It's due to go up again in 20 years' time to 68, though that might happen earlier as the government has an ongoing independent review.”
From on + going, related to the phrasal verb go on.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.