Partway means somewhere between the start and finish of something, not all the way through. When you're partway up a mountain trail, you've climbed higher than the bottom but haven't reached the summit yet. If you're partway through a book, you've read some chapters but still have more to go.

The word describes being in the middle of a journey, task, or process. A baker might realize partway through mixing cookie dough that she's out of chocolate chips. A student working on a long research project is partway done when the outline is finished but the writing hasn't started yet.

You can also use partway to describe partial distance or extent: a door left partway open isn't fully closed or fully open. A drawer pulled partway out is easier to reach into than one that's completely closed, but it's not all the way out either.

The feeling of being partway through something can be motivating (you've made progress!) or frustrating (you're not done yet!). When you're partway through a difficult challenge and feeling tired, remembering how far you've already come can give you the energy to keep going.