offing

Noun
US[aw-fing]/ˈɔfɪŋ/2 syllables

Open English WordNet

Noun (2)

  1. the near or foreseeable future“there was a wedding in the offing”Type of future, hereafter
  2. the part of the sea that can be seen from the shore and is beyond the anchoring area“there was a ship in the offing”Type of body of water, waterPart of main, briny
Word of the day · Sep 29About this word
haphazardadjective

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Webster's Dictionary (1913)

Off′ing (ŏf′ĭng; 115), noun

Origin: From Off.

That part of the sea at a good distance from the shore, or where there is deep water and no need of a pilot; also, distance from the shore; as, the ship had ten miles offing; we saw a ship in the offing.

in the offing (a) coming; arriving in the foreseeable future. (b) visible but not nearby.

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54 · with additions: GCIDE editors

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