in limbo

1. In a condition of oblivion or neglect, as in They kept her application in limbo for months . [Early 1600s]

2. An intermediate or transitional state, as in After his editor left the firm, his book was in limbo . [Early 1600s] Both usages allude to the theological meaning of limbo , that is, a place outside hell and heaven to which unbaptized infants and the righteous who died before Christ's coming were traditionally consigned.

Example Sentences

“And we didn’t have them here because they were sitting there in limbo waiting for a decision on tariffs.”

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And he knew he didn’t want to live in limbo any longer than he had to, especially after staying in an Old Pasadena hotel for several weeks with other evacuees.

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For now, Newman is still stuck in limbo trying to care for Luna and get the medical help she needs while jumping through every hoop the system can throw at her.

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The Telegraph has been in limbo for over two years, when the RedBird IMI consortium paid off the debts of the Telegraph's previous owners, the Barclay family, hoping to take eventual ownership of the newspapers.

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It said the deal would give "much-needed certainty and confidence" to the staff at the newspaper, whose sale has been in limbo for over two years.

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