- past tense form of streamline.
- past participle of streamline.
streamlined
Americanadjective
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having a contour designed to offer the least possible resistance to a current of air, water, etc.; optimally shaped for motion or conductivity.
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designed or organized to give maximum efficiency; compact.
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modernized; up-to-date.
adjective
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offering or designed to offer the minimum resistance to the flow of a gas or liquid
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made more efficient, esp by simplifying
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of streamlined
First recorded in 1890–95; streamline + -ed 2
Explanation
Something that works better because it's been made more efficient or modern is streamlined. Your streamlined system for printing flyers advertising your yard sale means you can print them much faster than before. There are two ways to use the adjective streamlined. First, there's the simplified, more efficient system, like a streamlined healthcare system or a streamlined driver's license process. The second meaning is "sleek" or "aerodynamic." The streamlined shape of a bullet train means it can travel much faster than older, rectangular train cars. The original meaning of streamline, from the 1850s, was "line drawn from point to point, so that its direction is everywhere that of the motion of the fluid." So an object, such as an aircraft or watercraft, that is streamlined has smooth, flowing curves, contoured to offer the least resistance to the flow of air or water.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The agency said in April that it has also streamlined internal processes to expedite death penalty cases.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
She said New Jersey has streamlined the filmmaking process in a way California hasn’t.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
The group, which has maintained a high level of promotional spending focused on Aperol and other core labels, meanwhile said it had further streamlined its portfolio by offloading five smaller labels.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
The company eventually halted some remodels and parted ways with a marketing firm it had worked with on the new logo, and streamlined leadership.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
I did the ordering and the inventory and he upgraded the accounting system, brought in new electric cash registers, streamlined the vendors—modernized it.
From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
