pipeline
[ pahyp-lahyn ]
/ ˈpaɪpˌlaɪn /
noun
a long tubular conduit or series of pipes, often underground, with pumps and valves for flow control, used to transport crude oil, natural gas, water, etc., especially over great distances.
a route, channel, or process along which something passes or is provided at a steady rate; means, system, or flow of supply or supplies: Freighters and cargo planes are a pipeline for overseas goods.
a channel of information, especially one that is direct, privileged, or confidential; inside source; reliable contact.
verb (used with object), pipe·lined, pipe·lin·ing.
to convey by or as if by pipeline: to pipeline oil from the far north to ice-free ports; to pipeline graduates into the top jobs.
Nearby words
pipeclay, piped music, pipefish, pipefitting, pipeful, pipeline, pipeliner, pipelining, piper, piperaceous, piperacillin
Idioms
- Informal. in the process of being developed, provided, or completed; in the works; under way.
- Government Informal. (of funds) authorized but not spent.
in the pipeline,
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for pipeline
British Dictionary definitions for pipeline
pipeline
/ (ˈpaɪpˌlaɪn) /
noun
a long pipe, esp underground, used to transport oil, natural gas, etc, over long distances
a medium of communication, esp a private one
in the pipeline in the process of being completed, delivered, or produced
verb (tr)
to convey by pipeline
to supply with a pipeline
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for pipeline
pipeline
1859, "continuous line of pipes," from pipe (n.1) + line (n.). Figurative sense of "channel of communication" is from 1921; surfer slang meaning "hollow part of a large wave" is attested by 1963.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper