work-in-progress

British

noun

accounting the value of work begun but not completed, as shown in a profit-and-loss account

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

As part of its 2035 strategy, Berkeley said it would target an operating margin within its historic range of 17.5% to 19.5%, and reduce work-in-progress investment to match current sales levels.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

“The woman wondered what she had gotten herself into” is the opening line of Carrie Bradshaw’s latest work-in-progress, a novel set in 1846.

From Salon • Jul. 13, 2025

Discouraged by the reception given to Smile, and beset by mental illness, Brian Wilson pulled the plug on this work-in-progress in 1967.

From BBC • Jun. 11, 2025

In “Nothing Doing,” a work-in-progress, clown Alex Tatarsky announced at the top that they didn’t believe in work or progress.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2025

A color picture of the work-in-progress accompanied the article.

From "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023