work-in-progress
B2Formal, semi-formal, technical.
Definition
Meaning
A project or piece of work that has been started but is not yet finished.
1. An ongoing, unfinished task or undertaking. 2. Used figuratively to describe a person or situation that is still developing or being improved (e.g., 'He's a work in progress').
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily a noun phrase, countable (often plural: works-in-progress). The hyphenated form is standard, especially when used as an attributive adjective (e.g., 'a work-in-progress report'). Can be conceptual, referring to an evolving state rather than a physical object.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in core meaning. The unhyphenated form 'work in progress' is also common in both varieties, especially as a predicative adjective. The abbreviation 'WIP' is widely used in technical/business contexts internationally.
Connotations
Equally neutral/connotative in both varieties. Used in business, academic, and everyday contexts.
Frequency
Similar frequency in both BrE and AmE, with slightly higher frequency in AmE corporate/business jargon.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[be] a work-in-progressclassify/tag/label something as (a) work-in-progresstrack/manage/review the work-in-progressremain/stay (a) work-in-progressVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “It's a work in progress (common conversational phrase).”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Refers to incomplete tasks or projects being tracked for management accounting (WIP inventory) or project status updates.
Academic
Describes ongoing research, a thesis chapter, or a scholarly article not yet submitted for publication.
Everyday
Used casually about home renovations, personal goals, or self-improvement ('My garden is a work in progress').
Technical
In software/agile development, denotes features or code that are in active development but not ready for release.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- N/A – not used as a verb.
American English
- N/A – not used as a verb.
adverb
British English
- N/A – not used as an adverb.
American English
- N/A – not used as an adverb.
adjective
British English
- She presented a detailed work-in-progress assessment to the committee.
- The work-in-progress sculptures are stored in the studio.
American English
- Attend the work-in-progress review at 3 PM.
- We need to update the work-in-progress schedule.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- My painting is a work in progress.
- The new playground is still a work in progress.
- Our team has several works-in-progress this month.
- Please submit your work-in-progress report by Friday.
- The novel remains a work-in-progress, with three chapters still to be revised.
- The director showed us a work-in-progress cut of the documentary.
- The peace negotiations are very much a work-in-progress, with key issues still unresolved.
- Her conceptual framework for the thesis is an intriguing but admittedly rudimentary work-in-progress.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of an artist's easel with a half-painted canvas. The WORK is IN the state of PROGRESS – not yet done.
Conceptual Metaphor
JOURNEY (The project is on the road to completion). CONSTRUCTION/BUILDING (Something being assembled step-by-step).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct calque 'работа в прогрессе'. Use 'незавершённая работа', 'работа в процессе', 'проект в разработке'. For personal development, 'он ещё в процессе становления' works.
Common Mistakes
- Using it as a verb (e.g., 'I am work-in-progressing the report' – INCORRECT). Forgetting the hyphens when used as a compound modifier before a noun (e.g., 'work in progress report' is less standard than 'work-in-progress report').
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'work-in-progress' LEAST likely to be used?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, figuratively. It's common to say 'I'm a work in progress' to indicate you are still developing skills, habits, or character.
The standard plural is 'works-in-progress', as the main noun is 'work'. 'Work-in-progresses' is non-standard and rarely used.
They are often used interchangeably. In business/accounting, 'Work in Process' (WIP) is a specific term for partially finished goods in manufacturing, while 'Work in Progress' can be broader, covering projects and services. In general usage, 'progress' is far more common.
Use hyphens when the phrase acts as a compound modifier before a noun (a work-in-progress update). It's often optional when used predictively (The project is a work in progress). Consistency within a document is key.