In the loop means informed about what's going on. The idiom is most often heard in the request keep me in the loop (“keep me informed”), and being in the loop means getting the news and taking part in the discussion. It's popular in work emails; in a formal letter or an essay, keep someone informed is safer.
When would you say in the loop?
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be in the loop; keep someone in the loop (about something); out of the loop
- Please keep me in the loop about any changes to the delivery date.
- Only the managers were in the loop, so the rest of us heard the news from the press.
What changed
First versionPlease keep me in course about the changes.
RevisionPlease keep me in the loop about the changes.
Keep me in course is a word-for-word translation, and English doesn't say it. Instead of in course, you need in the loop: keep me in the loop. In a more formal email, keep me informed works.
Out of the loop is the opposite: not informed, left out of the discussion, for example after a holiday: I've been away, so I'm a bit out of the loop. Keep me posted is close in meaning, but it asks for news as it comes, while in the loop means the person has been included among those who know.
Your turn
Please add Olga to the email thread so that she stays ___ while I'm away.
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in the loop — Olga is being added to the email thread so that she gets the news: in the loop. In the dark means “knowing nothing”, which is the opposite result.
Write a short request to a colleague or classmate. Say what you want to be kept informed about and until what day.
Could you keep me in the loop about the budget changes until I'm back on Monday?
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