offing

noun

off·​ing ˈȯ-fiŋ How to pronounce offing (audio)
ˈä-
1
: the part of the deep sea seen from the shore
2
: the near or foreseeable future
in the offing

Examples of offing in a Sentence

major changes are in the offing for the company
Recent Examples on the Web But on Wednesday afternoon, members of both parties said that such an outcome was not in the immediate offing. Eric Cortellessa, Time, 5 Jan. 2023 Inflation remains high and a recession may well be in the offing. Will Johnson, Fortune, 6 Apr. 2023 And some further opportunities with the NBA are in the offing. Lars Brandle, Billboard, 6 Apr. 2023 There are already indications that an eventual trip might be in the offing. The Editors, National Review, 4 Apr. 2023 In any case, Lotus has the horsepower doctor at work even now, and some interesting things are in the offing. Mike Knepper, Car and Driver, 31 Mar. 2023 Currently, the Fed is on course to raise the federal funds rate to 5.25%, which means two more interest rate hikes of 25 basis points each are in the offing. Nate Dicamillo, Quartz, 14 Feb. 2023 But with Mahomes, Reid and underrated GM Brett Veach at the controls, little reason to think an eighth consecutive AFC West crown isn't in the offing this year – with a perfectly reasonably chance this juggernaut won't continue to be in the Super Bowl mix. Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2023 Thinking a costume de rigueur coup might be in the offing, the savvy social secretary stood impressed as the young woman deftly changed her shoes and passed them off to her gallant escort, who tucked them away before the couple made their grand entrance. al, 6 Feb. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'offing.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

off entry 1

First Known Use

1608, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of offing was in 1608

Dictionary Entries Near offing

Cite this Entry

“Offing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/offing. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

offing

noun
off·​ing ˈȯf-iŋ How to pronounce offing (audio)
ˈäf-
: the near future
sees trouble in the offing
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!