along the lines of

Idioms  

1. Also, on the lines of. Roughly similar or in keeping with. For example, We told the architect we want a design along the lines of his own house but smaller, or Jane asked the caterer for a menu on the lines of the Morgans' wedding reception. This idiom uses line in the sense of “a direction or procedure,” a usage dating from the early 1600s.

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Example Sentences

This has made unthinkable a conventional armored thrust to Tehran, along the lines of the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026

Living as a minority, you often get questions along the lines of, “What kind of painful things have you experienced?”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026

Passed by the National Assembly in December, the law focuses on the risks posed by generative AI, requiring human oversight and control along the lines of the European Union's landmark AI Act.

From Barron's • Feb. 28, 2026

In a separate-property state, you would still likely end up with a settlement that reallocated your funds — maybe not exactly in half, but not along the lines of “what’s mine is mine.”

From MarketWatch • Jan. 16, 2026

But he also kind of wanted to offer some profound big-brotherly advice along the lines of, Katherine, you idiot, it’s what you are that matters, not what people think you are.

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix