dotted line

noun

1. a line on a contract or similar document for a party's signature.
2. a line at which a sheet of paper is perforated or a piece of it is to be detached.

dotted line

noun

1. a line of dots or dashes on a form or document
2. sign on the dotted line
   sign on the dotted line to agree formally, esp by signing one's name on a document

Word History and Origins

Origin of dotted line¹

First recorded in 1770–75

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. sign on the dotted line, to agree fully to terms or conditions.
2. signature on the dotted line, full agreement to terms and conditions.

Example Sentences

A blue dotted line signifies a water route and light blue shows a winter-use trail.

From Outside Online

The dotted lines are ideal for you to record your thoughts, and the thread binding allows the notebook to lay flat for easier writing.

From Popular-Science

When you hover your mouse cursor over the dotted lines in the featured snippet, Google will overlay content from a third-party site.

From Search Engine Land

When they do, they’ll find themselves moving in positive directions toward new revenue streams and technologies, and it all starts with signing on the dotted line — as long as it’s carefully vetted.

From Digiday

Dimly luminous trams were gliding amidst a dotted line of lamps, and two little trains crawled into Waterloo station.

From Project Gutenberg

The piece shown at B is to form the lower end of the spool, and is bent at right angles along the dotted line.

From Project Gutenberg

Then he drew a dotted line from Earth to the planet they were now on.

From Project Gutenberg

Point C is obtained by drawing the dotted line across where the outline curve meets the stem.

From Project Gutenberg

Where the dotted line from b' meets vertical line b, another dot is made, as at B, and so on until the point G is found.

From Project Gutenberg