What does "lineup" mean?
A physical or photographic queue of people allegedly involved in a crime, allowing a witness to identify them.
Lineup
noun
noun ·2 syllables ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A physical or photographic queue of people allegedly involved in a crime, allowing a witness to identify them.
- Grammar: lineup is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: identity parade, agenda, alignment, approach.
- Useful contrasts: chaos, disarray, disorder.
- Usage evidence: The witness identified the thief in the police lineup.
How to use "lineup"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "lineup" 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 "lineup" 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 "lineup" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "lineup" 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 "lineup" is acting as noun 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 "identity parade" 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 "lineup", 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 physical or photographic queue of people allegedly involved in a crime, allowing a witness to identify them. US
"Just one more thing, Julian. Don't tell cons they get paid for line-ups."
- 2 the schedule of programs for a particular period wordnet
- 3 A list of trains that are expected to cross over a specified section of track during a specified time period.
"It is recognized that lineup will not contain information as to all train and yard movements within yard limits."
- 4 (baseball) a list of batters in the order in which they will bat wordnet
- 5 A line of people or vehicles, in which the individual at the front end is dealt with first, the one behind is dealt with next, and so on, and in which newcomers join at the end; a queue. Canada
"We have a simple business process that consists of two steps: people wait in a lineup then fill out an application form."
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 a line of persons arranged by police for inspection or identification wordnet
- 7 An ordered list.
"Look at the lineup of sideways, up and down gaps, spinning top days, all bunched around the two-hundred-day MA."
- 8 Collectively, the members of a team.
"The manager fielded his strongest lineup for the game against United."
- 9 The batting order.
"More than any other batter in the lineup, he can keep the inning going with a base hit, and over a season he'll have as many at-bats as teh lead-off man and thus hit hard and often for his team."
- 10 The order in which race-cars are positioned at the start of a race, based on qualifying times.
"A double-car lineup means the third-fastest car lines up behind the pole sitter and the fourth-fastest behind the car on the outside of the front row, and so on throughout the field."
- 11 The set of product options available from a particular manufacturer or under a particular brand name.
"The mid-size Chevelle lineup featured revised frontal styling and one new model, a Concours Estate Wagon that sported wood-grain exterior trim and a black-accented grille."
- 12 The members of a music group at any one time.
"After losing half the lineup, the band went on hiatus before reemerging in late 1991 with a new lineup of Goss, bassist Googe and the legendary Ginger Baker of Cream and Blind Faith on drums."
- 13 The acts performing at a concert or festival.
"As the festival grew and the lineup featured more daring works, collections exemplified trends in national playwriting rather than the producing director's personal tastes."
- 14 The list of programs scheduled to be broadcast by a television station, or a position in that list.
"In the case of Quaker Oats, which brought to us a program called "Bewitched," for which we sold them the time at 9 o'clock Thursday, they selected a minimum lineup of $60,000, because that is the half-hour minimum lineup."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"The witness identified the thief in the police lineup."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "lineup"?
Common synonyms include: identity parade, agenda, alignment, approach, arrangement, array.
How do you use "lineup" in a sentence?
The witness identified the thief in the police lineup.
Etymology
Deverbal from line up.