Throughline

//ˈθɹuːlaɪn// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    In full through line of action: a theme that runs through the plot of a book, film, or other narrative work, or a series of such related works.

    "Produced by none other than Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, Good Boys again most closely resembles a kind of junior-varsity tryout for that duo's Superbad, down to its modestly affecting emotional through-line: an acceptance of the fact that childhood friendships, forged out of proximity and convenience, aren't always destined to last."

  2. 2
    A railway route that passengers can take without needing to change trains.

Synonyms

All synonyms
common thread

Example

More examples

"Produced by none other than Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, Good Boys again most closely resembles a kind of junior-varsity tryout for that duo's Superbad, down to its modestly affecting emotional through-line: an acceptance of the fact that childhood friendships, forged out of proximity and convenience, aren't always destined to last."

Etymology

From through (“passing from one side of something to the other”, adjective) + line. Compare Middle English thurghline (“a brail or buntline”).

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.