in principle

Idioms  

1. Fundamentally, in general, but not necessarily in all particulars. For example, The diplomats accepted the idea in principle but would rely on experts to work out all the details. [Early 1800s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

in principle

Earlier this month, easyJet agreed in principle to a potential $7.6 billion takeover by U.S. asset manager Apollo.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

Wisdom teeth aren’t useless in principle, but they no longer fit comfortably within modern skulls.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026

EasyJet said in a statement that it had reached an "agreement in principle" with Apollo after its surprise offer of £7.15 per share beat Castlelake's bid of £6.90 per share.

From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026

On Sunday EasyJet's board of directors and Castlelake said they had reached an agreement in principle on a proposal put forward on 4 July, worth £6.90 per share.

From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026

Both the Kuhnian and Popperian positions are, in principle, compatible with an understanding of what science does; the Wittgensteinian position, as presented by his followers, is inherently anti-scientific.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton