in the works

phrase

: in process of preparation, development, or completion
The director's new movie is already in the works.
Plans are in the works for building three new schools in the area.

Examples of in the works in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
And by the time the rest of us can afford an Nvidia machine — Nvidia says Spark is a family of products with lower-cost versions in the works — perhaps early growing pains will be ironed out. — Sean Hollister, The Verge, 15 Oct. 2026 Several international co-productions and development projects are also in the works. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026 With more than a dozen similar projects in the works, Nevada’s vast federal holdings could become a proving ground for data centers and a tinderbox over public-land protections. — Jessica Hill, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026 Autobiographical approaches in fiction and nonfiction appear in different ways in the works of the three writers discussed above. — Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for in the works

Word History

First Known Use

1870, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of in the works was in 1870

Rhymes for in the works

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Browse Nearby Words

in the wings
in the works
in the world
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“In the works.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20the%20works. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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