What does "line" mean?
A path through two or more points (compare ‘segment’); a continuous mark, including as made by a pen; any path, curved or straight.
Line
/laɪn/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A path through two or more points (compare ‘segment’); a continuous mark, including as made by a pen; any path, curved or straight.
- Grammar: line is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: demarcation, abut, accommodation, accompaniment.
- Useful contrasts: circular shape, cyclic shape, arrow.
- Usage evidence: There is a fine line between speech that is terse and to the point and speech that is too abrupt.
How to use "line"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "line" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "line" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "line" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "line" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "line" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "demarcation" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "line", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A path through two or more points (compare ‘segment’); a continuous mark, including as made by a pen; any path, curved or straight.
"The arrow descended in a curved line."
- 2 A group of people born in a certain year (liners).
"maknae line; hyung line; 97 line"
- 3 Flax, linen. obsolete, uncountable
- 4 Acronym of long interspersed nuclear element, a type of retrotransposon in genomics. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
- 5 the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money wordnet
Show 86 more definitions
- 6 A path through two or more points (compare ‘segment’); a continuous mark, including as made by a pen; any path, curved or straight.; An infinitely extending one-dimensional figure that has no curvature; one that has length but not breadth or thickness.
- 7 The longer fiber(s) of flax. uncountable
- 8 A close quarters combat system, see LINE (combat system) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
- 9 acting in conformity wordnet
- 10 A path through two or more points (compare ‘segment’); a continuous mark, including as made by a pen; any path, curved or straight.; A line segment; a continuous finite segment of such a figure. informal
- 11 a conductor for transmitting electrical or optical signals or electric power wordnet
- 12 A path through two or more points (compare ‘segment’); a continuous mark, including as made by a pen; any path, curved or straight.; An edge of a graph.
- 13 something (as a cord or rope) that is long and thin and flexible wordnet
- 14 A path through two or more points (compare ‘segment’); a continuous mark, including as made by a pen; any path, curved or straight.; A circle of latitude or of longitude, as represented on a map.
- 15 the road consisting of railroad track and roadbed wordnet
- 16 A path through two or more points (compare ‘segment’); a continuous mark, including as made by a pen; any path, curved or straight.; The equator.
- 17 a commercial organization serving as a common carrier wordnet
- 18 A path through two or more points (compare ‘segment’); a continuous mark, including as made by a pen; any path, curved or straight.; One of the straight horizontal and parallel prolonged strokes on and between which the notes are placed.
- 19 a particular kind of product or merchandise wordnet
- 20 A path through two or more points (compare ‘segment’); a continuous mark, including as made by a pen; any path, curved or straight.; The horizontal path of a ball towards the batsman (see also length).
- 21 a pipe used to transport liquids or gases wordnet
- 22 A path through two or more points (compare ‘segment’); a continuous mark, including as made by a pen; any path, curved or straight.; The goal line.
"St Johnstone's Liam Craig had to clear off the line before Steven Anderson sent a looping header into his own net for the equaliser on 36 minutes."
- 23 mechanical system in a factory whereby an article is conveyed through sites at which successive operations are performed on it wordnet
- 24 A path through two or more points (compare ‘segment’); a continuous mark, including as made by a pen; any path, curved or straight.; A particular path taken by a vehicle when driving a bend or corner in the road.
""I guess it's like race cars - if you get the right line you can come out at top speed.""
- 25 a telephone connection wordnet
- 26 A rope, cord, string, thread, or cable, of any thickness.
- 27 a conceptual separation or distinction wordnet
- 28 A hose, tube, or pipe, of any size.
"a brake line"
- 29 a course of reasoning aimed at demonstrating a truth or falsehood; the methodical process of logical reasoning wordnet
- 30 Direction, path.
"the line of sight"
- 31 (often plural) a means of communication or access wordnet
- 32 A procession, either physical or conceptual, which results from the application or effect of a given rationale or other controlling principles of belief, opinion, practice, or phenomenon.
"In order to maintain a consistency in the defense, I will follow the line established by attorney Jacobs of allowing the prosecution to suggest motives, and then refuting them."
- 33 a short personal letter wordnet
- 34 The wire connecting one telegraphic station with another, a telephone or internet cable between two points: a telephone or network connection.
"I tried to make a call, but the line was dead."
- 35 a mark that is long relative to its width wordnet
- 36 A clothesline.
"We need to take the clothes off the line. The news reported a front is coming in from the east, and we can expect heavy rain and maybe hail."
- 37 text consisting of a row of words written across a page or computer screen wordnet
- 38 A letter, a written form of communication.
"Drop me a line."
- 39 persuasive but insincere talk that is usually intended to deceive or impress wordnet
- 40 A connected series of public conveyances, as a roadbed or railway track; and hence, an established arrangement for forwarding merchandise, etc.; a railroad line, railway line, Elizabeth Line etc.
"a line of stages"
- 41 a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence wordnet
- 42 A trench or rampart, or the non-physical demarcation of the extent of the territory occupied by specified forces. especially
- 43 the hereditary derivation of an individual wordnet
- 44 The exterior limit of a figure or territory: a boundary, contour, or outline; a demarcation.
"Eden stretch'd her Line / From Auran Eastward to the Royal Towrs / Of great Seleucia,"
- 45 a connected series of events or actions or developments wordnet
- 46 A long tape or ribbon marked with units for measuring; a tape measure.
- 47 a formation of people or things one behind another wordnet
- 48 A measuring line or cord. obsolete
"The carpenter stretcheth out his rule; he marketh it out with a line; he fitteth it with planes, and he marketh it out with the compass, and maketh it after the figure of a man, according to the beauty of a man; that it may remain in the house."
- 49 a formation of people or things one beside another wordnet
- 50 That which was measured by a line, such as a field or any piece of land set apart; hence, allotted place of abode.
"The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage."
- 51 a spatial location defined by a real or imaginary unidimensional extent wordnet
- 52 A threadlike crease or wrinkle marking the face, hand, or body; hence, a characteristic mark.
- 53 in games or sports; a mark indicating positions or bounds of the playing area wordnet
- 54 Lineament; feature; figure (of one's body).
- 55 a fortified position (especially one marking the most forward position of troops) wordnet
- 56 A more-or-less straight sequence of people, objects, etc., either arranged as a queue or column and often waiting to be processed or dealt with, or arranged abreast of one another in a row (and contrasted with a column), as in a military formation.
"get in line"
- 57 a single frequency (or very narrow band) of radiation in a spectrum wordnet
- 58 A more-or-less straight sequence of people, objects, etc., either arranged as a queue or column and often waiting to be processed or dealt with, or arranged abreast of one another in a row (and contrasted with a column), as in a military formation.; Ellipsis of line of battle. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
- 59 the maximum credit that a customer is allowed wordnet
- 60 The regular infantry of an army, as distinguished from militia, guards, volunteer corps, cavalry, artillery, etc.
- 61 space for one line of print (one column wide and 1/14 inch deep) used to measure advertising wordnet
- 62 A series of notes forming a certain part (such as the bass or melody) of a greater work.
"Students and the instructor sing the harmony line while the instructor plays the melody line on the piano."
- 63 a length (straight or curved) without breadth or thickness; the trace of a moving point wordnet
- 64 A series or succession of ancestors or descendants of a given person; a family or race; compare lineage.
- 65 a slight depression or fold in the smoothness of a surface wordnet
- 66 A small amount of text. Specifically:; A written or printed row of letters, words, numbers, or other text, especially a row of words extending across a page or column, or a blank in place of such text.
"The answer to the comprehension question can be found in the third line of the accompanying text."
- 67 A small amount of text. Specifically:; A verse (in poetry).
"Nay if you read this line, remember not, / The hand that writ it."
- 68 A small amount of text. Specifically:; A sentence of dialogue, especially in a play, movie, or the like.
"He was perfecting his pickup lines for use at the bar."
- 69 A small amount of text. Specifically:; A lie or exaggeration, especially one told to gain another's approval or prevent losing it.
"Don't feed me a line!"
- 70 Course of conduct, thought, occupation, or policy; method of argument; department of industry, trade, or intellectual activity.
"He [Mackintosh] is uncommonly powerful in his own line; but it is not the line of a first-rate man."
- 71 The official, stated position (or set of positions) of an individual or group, particularly a political or religious faction.
"Remember, your answers must match the party line."
- 72 Information about or understanding of something. (Mostly restricted to the expressions get a line on, have a line on, and give a line on.) slang
"Judy gave me a line on a lawyer who's supposed to be the best in the business."
- 73 A set of products or services sold by a business, or by extension, the business itself.
"line of business, product line"
- 74 A number of shares taken by a jobber.
- 75 Any of an ill-defined set of units of length, varying according to the country, discipline, industry, and date of application, commonly with no indication of the intended magnitude
"Withof estimates that the hair of the beard grows one line (French) in the course of a week, let us call it one line and a half (Engish); this would amount to six inches and a half yearly..."
- 76 Any of an ill-defined set of units of length, varying according to the country, discipline, industry, and date of application, commonly with no indication of the intended magnitude:; A tsarist-era Russian unit of measure, approximately equal to one tenth of an English inch, used especially when measuring the calibre of firearms. historical
- 77 Any of an ill-defined set of units of length, varying according to the country, discipline, industry, and date of application, commonly with no indication of the intended magnitude:; One twelfth of an inch.
"The cut is measured in thickness from a quarter of a line to a line and a half (a line is one-twelfth of an inch)."
- 78 Any of an ill-defined set of units of length, varying according to the country, discipline, industry, and date of application, commonly with no indication of the intended magnitude:; One sixteenth of an inch.
- 79 Any of an ill-defined set of units of length, varying according to the country, discipline, industry, and date of application, commonly with no indication of the intended magnitude:; One fortieth of an inch.
"In case any of the committee do not understand what is meant by a rate per line, I may say that buttons, being very small, are not measured by the foot or inch, but by the line, a line being one-fortieth of an inch. For example, that is a 27-line button[…]."
- 80 Ellipsis of agate line (one fourteenth of an inch). abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
"Advertising rates, line contract, less than 500 agate lines, 12 cents per line; 1,000 to 2,000 lines, 7 cents; 5,000 to 10,000 lines, 5 cents."
- 81 A maxwell, a unit of magnetic flux. historical
- 82 The batter's box. slang, with-definite-article
- 83 The position in which the fencers hold their swords.
"Thus, for example, in the line of Quarte, the direct thrust is parried by dropping the point under the adversary's blade and circling upwards, throwing off the attack in the opposite line (that of Tierce), and upon the direct thrust in the line of Tierce, by a similar action throwing off the attack in the opposite line (that of Quarte)."
- 84 Proper relative position or adjustment (of parts, not as to design or proportion, but with reference to smooth working).
"the engine is in line / out of line"
- 85 A portion or serving of a powdery recreational drug, especially cocaine, formed into a line on a flat surface in preparation for snorting. informal
"I watched him take a line of cocaine."
- 86 Instruction; doctrine. obsolete
"Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun."
- 87 A population of cells derived from a single cell and containing the same genetic makeup.
- 88 a set composed of a spike, a drip chamber, a clamp, a Y-injection site, a three-way stopcock and a catheter.
- 89 A group of forwards that play together.
- 90 A set of positions in a team which play in a similar position on the field; in a traditional team, consisting of three players and acting as one of six such sets in the team.
- 91 A vascular catheter. colloquial
"patient had a line inserted"
Verb
- 1 To place (objects) into a line (usually used with "up"); to form into a line; to align. transitive
"to line troops"
- 2 To cover the inner surface of (something), originally especially with linen. transitive
"to line a cloak with silk or fur"
- 3 To copulate with, to impregnate. archaic, transitive
- 4 reinforce with fabric wordnet
- 5 To place persons or things along the side of for security or defense; to strengthen by adding; to fortify. transitive
"to line works with soldiers"
Show 14 more definitions
- 6 To fill or supply (something), as a purse with money. transitive
"to line the shelves"
- 7 fill plentifully wordnet
- 8 To form a line along. transitive
- 9 cover the interior of wordnet
- 10 To mark with a line or lines; to cover with lines. transitive
"to line a copy book"
- 11 mark with lines wordnet
- 12 To align (one or more switches) to direct a train onto a particular track.
"The dispatcher lined the switches at Pickle interlocking for the freight turnout to clear the train into the passing track before the express arrived."
- 13 make a mark or lines on a surface wordnet
- 14 To represent by lines; to delineate; to portray. obsolete, transitive
"All the pictures fairest lined Are but black to Rosalind."
- 15 be in line with; form a line along wordnet
- 16 To read or repeat line by line. dated, transitive
"to line out a hymn"
- 17 To hit a line drive; to hit a line drive which is caught for an out. Compare fly and ground. intransitive
"Jones lined to left in his last at-bat."
- 18 To track (wild bees) to their nest by following their line of flight. transitive
- 19 To measure. transitive
Proper Noun
- 1 An English and Scottish surname.
Antonyms
Example
"There is a fine line between speech that is terse and to the point and speech that is too abrupt."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "line"?
Common synonyms include: demarcation, abut, accommodation, accompaniment, accord, accordance.
How do you use "line" in a sentence?
There is a fine line between speech that is terse and to the point and speech that is too abrupt.
How do you pronounce "line"?
Pronounced /laɪn/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English line, lyne, from Old English līne (“line, cable, rope, hawser, series, row, rule, direction”), from Proto-West Germanic *līnā, from Proto-Germanic *līnǭ (“line, rope, flaxen cord, thread”), from Proto-Germanic *līną (“flax, linen”), from Proto-Indo-European *līno- (“flax”). Influenced in Middle English by Middle French ligne (“line”), from Latin linea. More at linen. The oldest sense of the word is “rope, cord, thread”; from this the senses “path”, “continuous mark” were derived.
Etymology 2
Borrowed from Korean 라인 (rain, “members with a shared characteristic”), itself from English line. Likely generalized via hyung line, maknae line, etc.
Etymology 3
From Old English līn (“flax, linen, cloth”). For more information, see the entry linen.
Etymology 4
Borrowed from Middle French ligner.
Etymology 5
From the Middle English surname, derived from the Anglo-Norman suffix -line found in names such as Adeline and Madeline.