VocabularyBasePractice words

Meaning & use

stay in the loop

phrase·Everydayinformal

Last updated

UK/ˌsteɪ ɪn ðə ˈluːp/
US/ˌsteɪ ɪn ðə ˈluːp/

Meaning

  1. phraseidiominformal

    To keep receiving the news and details about a project or situation, so that you always know what is going on.

    Grammar: No object; the person who stays informed is the subject: I'll stay in the loop.

    Patterns

    • stay in the loop about something
    • stay in the loop on something
    • keep someone in the loop

    Please copy me on the emails so I can stay in the loop.

    She joined the group chat to stay in the loop about the wedding plans.

    Managers should stay in the loop on any changes to the schedule.

Word forms

third person singularstays in the loop
past tensestayed in the loop
-ing formstaying in the loop

Common combinations

stay in the loop on
I want to stay in the loop on the budget talks.
keep someone in the loop
Keep me in the loop if anything changes.
stay in the loop about
Parents stay in the loop about school events through a weekly email.
stay in the loop with
He stays in the loop with his old colleagues over coffee.
a way to stay in the loop
Newsletters are an easy way to stay in the loop.

Synonyms and how they differ

keep up to date
It is more neutral and general, and is not limited to being included in a group's communication.
stay informed
It is more formal and does not suggest being part of a team's circle.
keep abreast
It is formal and usually followed by 'of' plus a topic, such as developments.

Opposites

be out of the loop

Word family

loop noun
a ring or curve; here, a circle of people who share information
out of the loop phrase
not informed
looped in phrase
added to a conversation
loop in phrasal verb
to include someone in communication

Commonly confused: stay in the loop or stay on the loop?

stay in the loop vs stay on the loop

This is not the idiom; the preposition is 'in', not 'on'.

Practice

I was on holiday last week, so please keep me ___ about the contract talks.

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “stay in the loop”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

Explore more words