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

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

Perna said his standard advice was along the lines of, “Why are you knocking on that door? You should be over here.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 1, 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

The title had, however, been changed from the traditional one, which is usually along the lines of "G20 Leaders' Declaration", they said, without being able to disclose the new version.

From Barron's • Nov. 21, 2025

The old woman nodded; shiny tears streamed along the lines of her face.

From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older