in the pipeline
Idioms-
In process, under way, as in The blueprints for the new machine are in the pipeline, but it will take months to get approval . [ Colloquial ; 1940s] Also see in the works .
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Budgeted for something but not yet spent, as in There's $5 million more in the pipeline for the city schools . [ Colloquial ; second half of 1900s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
How, in a legislative body that has always maintained a large contingent of scoundrels, did Swalwell and Gonzales get the boot in such quick succession—with more potentially in the pipeline?
From Slate • Apr. 16, 2026
Having recently agreed to sell its Irish property and casualty business, Generali doesn’t currently have any other disposals in the pipeline, he added.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026
There have been no official allegations of Ukrainian involvement in the pipeline incident so far.
From BBC • Apr. 5, 2026
Front-running produces low-risk profits because you are exploiting the predictable price impact of trades already in the pipeline but not yet executed.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 12, 2026
Poor pressure in the pipeline means that the water will have to go to a sump and then be pumped up.
From Behind the News: Voices from Goa's Press by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
