pipeline

American  

[pahyp-lahyn] / ˈpaɪpˌlaɪn /

noun

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. a channel of information, especially one that is direct, privileged, or confidential; inside source; reliable contact.

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verb (used with object)

pipelined, pipelining

1. 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.

idioms

1. in the pipeline,

   1. Informal. in the process of being developed, provided, or completed; in the works; under way.

   2. Government Informal. (of funds) authorized but not spent.

pipeline British  

/ ˈpaɪpˌlaɪn /

noun

1. a long pipe, esp underground, used to transport oil, natural gas, etc, over long distances

2. a medium of communication, esp a private one

3. in the process of being completed, delivered, or produced

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verb

1. to convey by pipeline

2. to supply with a pipeline

Etymology

Origin of pipeline

First recorded in 1855–60; pipe ¹ + line ¹

Explanation

A pipeline is a series of pipes that liquid or gas flows through. A pipeline can also be a channel for other things, even ideas. The Internet is an information pipeline. No digging required! While oil and natural gas often go through a pipeline, other substances are also transported this way, including water used for irrigation and even, in some cases, beer. You can use pipeline when you talk about other quick-moving things, like a source of goods, or even spoken communication. You could call the big companies in your city a kind of “job pipeline.” If you have an idea for a community pool in the pipeline, go ahead and hire the lifeguards!

Example Sentences

He pointed to its $750 million revenue pipeline across 12 customers.

From MarketWatch • May 9, 2026

“We believe Dutch Bros’ first-mover advantage, differentiated engagement model, and innovation pipeline continue to support outsized growth,” said McManus, who raised his target price for the stock to $76 from $73.

From Barron's • May 7, 2026

"It's sheer luck we chose this protist to test our sequencing pipeline, and it just shows what's out there, highlighting just how little we know about the genetics of protists."

From Science Daily • May 7, 2026

Saudi Arabia has been forced to rely on its East-West pipeline to transfer oil to the Red Sea port of Yanbu instead, while the UAE is using its Fujairah pipeline to bypass the strait.

From BBC • May 6, 2026

Civil rights groups have also developed litigation and important coalitions related to the school-to-prison pipeline, inadequate indigent defense, and juvenile justice reform, to name a few.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

Related Words

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