pipeline

noun

pipe·​line ˈpīp-ˌlīn 

1

a

: a line of pipe with pumps, valves, and control devices for conveying liquids, gases, or finely divided solids

b

: pipe sense 2b

2

: a direct channel for information

3

: a process or channel of supply

an arms pipeline

4

: a state of development, preparation, or production

several projects in the pipeline

also : the system for such processes

a strong product pipeline

5

: a course of individual advancement or development especially to fill organizational needs

Synonyms

• channel

Examples of pipeline in a Sentence

an equipment hauler serves as the columnist's pipeline for gossip about the rock band

the battle was ultimately lost because the enemy had destroyed our pipeline for resupply

Recent Examples on the Web

As the incoming Trump Administration threatens to reduce federal research budgets while shrinking health agencies in the name of efficiency, health experts fear such momentum could slow, ultimately narrowing the treatment pipeline for a number of diseases. —Alice Park, TIME, 24 Dec. 2024

Nearly two dozen hotels in Midtown Manhattan were removed from the tourist pipeline, transforming them into unlikely refuges in plain sight. —Luis Ferré-Sadurní, New York Times, 23 Dec. 2024

Investors thus need to find those smaller-cap biotech companies with existing breakthroughs or innovative drugs in the FDA approval pipeline that large-cap pharmaceutical companies desire to add to their platforms and thus have the greatest chance of being acquired. —Kevin Mahn, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024

But almost three years later, many have come to see the American arms pipeline as a kind of torture: allowing just enough through to keep up a war of attrition, with no real hope of victory. —Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 18 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1856, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing pipeline

• come down the pipeline
• in the pipeline
• the pipeline

Kids Definition

pipeline

noun

pipe·​line ˈpī-ˌplīn 

1

: a line of pipe with pumps, valves, and control devices for carrying liquids, gases, or finely divided solids

2

: a direct channel for information or supplies