Meaning of Idiom ‘In the Pipeline’
When something is in the pipeline it is in process or underway; being developed; in the planning stages but intended to be implemented; budgeted for but not yet spent 1Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.,2Heacock, Paul. Cambridge Dictionary of American Idioms]. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2010.
Sentence Examples
“We have new regulations in the pipelines but it will take a while before they are in effect.’
“There is a pay increase in the pipeline,” said the company. “There is no need for this strike.”
“The once founding playhouse now has several big productions in the pipeline that are sure to attract the best local talent.”
“There are no new real-estate developments in the pipeline at this time.”
“You’ll expedite his bar application? It’s in the pipeline. For now, you’ll work pro hac vice.” — The Devil’s Advocate (1997)
Origin
Used since the second half of the 1900s.
