in the offing

Idioms  

1. 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.

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Example Sentences

A sustainably higher multiple could be in the offing if the company can go from a slow-growth auto maker in a competitive and cyclical business to a maker of robots.

From Barron's

Even if another interest rate cut is in the offing, the floor for rates may be looming - to the relief of savers, but meaning there's a sting in the tail for millions of borrowers.

From BBC

Interviewed on the podcast Top Traders Unplugged, White sketched out the problems facing advanced economies at present and delivered a disconcerting warning of the systemic failure he thinks may be in the offing.

From MarketWatch

Long closed to new money, Maple Rock handed some profits this year back to clients, with plans for more distributions in the offing, the people said.

From The Wall Street Journal

But sluggishness is in the offing for 2026, as households face mortgage renewals at sharply higher rates, Kavcic says.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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