English Dictionary

Definition of “line”

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1line1 (laɪnPronunciation for line1) 

Definitions

noun

  1. a narrow continuous mark, as one made by a pencil, pen, or brush across a surface
  2. such a mark cut into or raised from a surface
  3. a thin indented mark or wrinkle
  4. a straight or curved continuous trace having no breadth that is produced by a moving point
  5. mathematics 
    1. any straight one-dimensional geometrical element whose identity is determined by two points. A line segment lies between any two points on a line
    2. a set of points (a set of points (x, y ) that satisfies the equation a set of points () that satisfies the equation y  = a set of points () that satisfies the equation = mx  + a set of points () that satisfies the equation = + c,  where a set of points () that satisfies the equation = + where m  is the gradient and a set of points () that satisfies the equation = + where is the gradient and c  is the intercept with the a set of points () that satisfies the equation = + where is the gradient and is the intercept with the y-axis
  6. a border or boundary  ⇒ the county line 
  7. sport 
    1. a white or coloured band indicating a boundary or division on a field, track, etc
    2. a mark or imaginary mark at which a race begins or ends
  8. American football 
    1. See line of scrimmage
    2. the players arranged in a row on either side of the line of scrimmage at the start of each play
  9. a specified point of change or limit  ⇒ the dividing line between sanity and madness 
    1. the edge or contour of a shape, as in sculpture or architecture, or a mark on a painting, drawing, etc, defining or suggesting this
    2. the sum or type of such contours or marks, characteristic of a style or design  ⇒ the line of a draughtsman the line of a building 
  11. anything long, flexible, and thin, such as a wire or string  ⇒ a washing line a fishing line 
  12. a telephone connection  ⇒ a direct line to New York 
    1. a conducting wire, cable, or circuit for making connections between pieces of electrical apparatus, such as a cable for electric-power transmission, telecommunications, etc
    2. ((as modifier)  ⇒ the line voltage 
  14. a system of travel or transportation, esp over agreed routes  ⇒ a shipping line 
  15. a company operating such a system
  16. a route between two points on a railway
  17. mainly British 
    1. a railway track, including the roadbed, sleepers, etc
    2. one of the rails of such a track
  18. New Zealand a roadway usually in a rural area
  19. a course or direction of movement or advance  ⇒ the line of flight of a bullet 
  20. a course or method of action, behaviour, etc  ⇒ take a new line with him 
  21. a policy or prescribed course of action or way of thinking (often in the phrases bring a policy or prescribed course of action or way of thinking (often in the phrases or come into line)
  22. a field of study, interest, occupation, trade, or profession  ⇒ this book is in your line 
  23. alignment; true (esp in the phrases in line, out of line)
  24. one kind of product or article  ⇒ a nice line in hats 
  25. New Zealand a collection of bales of wool all of the one type
  26. a row of persons or things  ⇒ a line of cakes on the conveyor belt 
  27. a chronological or ancestral series, esp of people  ⇒ a line of prime ministers 
  28. a row of words printed or written across a page or column
  29. a unit of verse consisting of the number of feet appropriate to the metre being used and written or printed with the words in a single row
  30. a short letter; note  ⇒ just a line to say thank you 
  31. a piece of useful information or hint about something  ⇒ give me a line on his work 
  32. one of a number of narrow horizontal bands forming a television picture
  33. physics a narrow band in an electromagnetic spectrum, resulting from a transition in an atom, ion, or molecule of a gas or plasma
  34. music 
    1. any of the five horizontal marks that make up the stave Compare space (sense 10)
    2. the musical part or melody notated on one such set
    3. a discernible shape formed by sequences of notes or musical sounds  ⇒ a meandering melodic line 
    4. (in polyphonic music) a set of staves that are held together with a bracket or brace
  35. a unit of magnetic flux equal to 1 maxwell
  36. a defensive or fortified position, esp one that marks the most forward position in war or a national boundary  ⇒ the front line 
  37. See line ahead
  38. a formation adopted by a body or a number of military units when drawn up abreast
  39. the combatant forces of certain armies and navies, excluding supporting arms
  40. fencing one of four divisions of the target on a fencer's body, considered as areas to which specific attacks are made
  41. the scent left by a fox
    1. the equator (esp in the phrase crossing the line)
    2. any circle or arc on the terrestrial or celestial sphere
  43. the amount of insurance written by an underwriter for a particular risk
  44. US Canadian a line of people, vehicles, etc, waiting for something queue
  45. slang a portion of a powdered drug for snorting
  46. slang something said for effect, esp to solicit for money, sex, etc  ⇒ he gave me his usual line 
  47. See above the line
  48. See below the line
  49. See all along the line
  50. See do a line
  51. See draw the line
  52. See get a line on
  53. See hold the line
  54. See in line for
  55. See in line with
  56. See in the line of duty
  57. See lay on the line
  58. See shoot a line
  59. See step out of line
  60. See toe the line

verb

  1. (tr) to mark with a line or lines
  2. (tr) to draw or represent with a line or lines
  3. (tr) to be or put as a border to  ⇒ tulips lined the lawns 
  4. to place in or form a row, series, or alignment

See also

lines , line-up

Alternative Forms

ˈlinable ˈlineable adjective lined adjective ˈlineˌlike adjective ˈliny ˈliney adjective

Word Origin

C13: partly from Old French ligne,  ultimately from Latin līnea,  n use of līneus  flaxen, from līnum  flax; partly from Old English līn,  ultimately also from Latin līnum flax

Synonyms

View thesaurus entry
= stroke, mark, rule, score, bar, band, channel, dash, scratch, slash, underline, streak, stripe, groove,
= wrinkle, mark, crease, furrow, crow's foot
= row, queue, rank, file, series, column, sequence, convoy, procession, crocodile,
= script, part, words, dialogue,
= string, cable, wire, strand, rope, thread, cord, filament, wisp,
= trajectory, way, course, track, channel, direction, route, path, axis,
= outline, shape, figure, style, cut, features, appearance, profile, silhouette, configuration, contour,
= boundary, mark, limit, edge, border, frontier, partition, borderline, demarcation,
= formation, front, position, front line, trenches, firing line,
= approach, policy, position, way, course, practice, scheme, method, technique, procedure, tactic, avenue, ideology, course of action,
= course, way, direction, tendency, drift, tack,
= occupation, work, calling, interest, business, job, area, trade, department, field, career, activity, bag, employment, province, profession, pursuit, forte, vocation, specialization,
= brand, make, sort, kind, product, type, label,
= lineage, family, breed, succession, race, stock, strain, descent, ancestry, parentage,
= note, message, letter, memo, report, word, card, e-mail, postcard, text,
= series, chain, string, sequence, procession,
= patter, story, pitch, spiel,
= clue, lead, hint, indication,
= border, edge, bound, fringe, rank, skirt, verge, rim,
= mark, draw, crease, furrow, cut, rule, score, trace, underline, inscribe,

2line2 (laɪnPronunciation for line2) 

Definitions

verb (tr)

  1. to attach an inside covering to (a garment, curtain, etc), as for protection, to hide the seaming, or so that it should hang well
  2. to cover or fit the inside of  ⇒ to line the walls with books 
  3. to fill plentifully  ⇒ a purse lined with money 
  4. to reinforce the back of (a book) with fabric, paper, etc

Word Origin

C14: ultimately from Latin līnum flax, since linings were often made of linen

Translations

  • British English: line Pronunciation for line A line is a long, thin mark or shape.Draw a line at the bottom of the page.laɪn NOUN Draw a line at the bottom of the page.
  • Spanish: línea Pronunciation for línea nf
  • French: ligne Pronunciation for ligne nf
  • German: Linie Pronunciation for Linie nf
  • Chinese: 直线Pronunciation for 直线 n
  • Arabic: خَطّPronunciation for خَطّ n
  • Portuguese: linhaPronunciation for linha nf
  • Russian: линияPronunciation for линия nf
  • Croatian: crtaPronunciation for crta nf
  • Czech: čáraPronunciation for čára nf
  • Danish: linePronunciation for line nutr
  • Dutch: regelPronunciation for regel nm
  • Finnish: viivaPronunciation for viiva n
  • Greek: γραμμήPronunciation for γραμμή nf
  • Italian: lineaPronunciation for linea nf
  • Japanese: 線Pronunciation for 線 n
  • Korean: 선Pronunciation for 선 n
  • Norwegian: linjePronunciation for linje nm
  • Polish: liniaPronunciation for linia nf
  • Brazilian Portuguese: linhaPronunciation for linha nf
  • European Spanish: línea Pronunciation for línea nf
  • Swedish: linjePronunciation for linje nutr
  • Thai: เส้นบรรทัดPronunciation for เส้นบรรทัด n
  • Turkish: çizgiPronunciation for çizgi n
  • Vietnamese: đường kẻPronunciation for đường kẻ n

Usage examples

  • I could sue you for that -'Mr Bruce Farro threatened us with the same line ,' said Malone.
    Jon Cleary, YESTERDAY'S SHADOW (2002)
  • Sometimes in my line of work it is best to let sleeping dogs lie.
    Country Life (2004)
  • The Fine Gael leader, however, accused the Taoiseach of a "well-practised line in doublespeak".
    Irish Times (2002)
  • Rugby round-up Harlequins may be forced to line up against Newcastle on Sunday in their European Shield semi-final without a hooker.
    Glasgow Herald (2001)
  • He had to jump into the water with his life jacket on and clutching a safety line still attached to the yacht.
    Rob Mundle, FATAL STORM (2001)

Commonness

All English words that begin with 'L'

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