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.

---

Example Sentences

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

One unicorn - a tech start-up valued at more than $1bn - has made its debut on the country's stock markets, and two more are in the offing.

From BBC

“There’s no stage at which profound public rejection isn’t in the offing,” he says, dryly.

From Los Angeles Times

He agreed with Secretary Vance that to oppose it “would be foregoing an option that we could exercise in the event a peaceful solution is not in the offing.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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