in the offing

Idioms and Phrases

In the near or immediate future; soon to come. For example, Jan was delighted that exams were finished and graduation was in the offing . This expression originally meant “in the part of the ocean visible between shore and horizon”; its figurative use dates from the late 1700s. Also see in the wind .

Related Words

• forthcoming
• immediate
• impending
• inevitable
• likely
• looming
• possible
• probable
• unavoidable