along the lines of

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.

Example Sentences

“Over the rest of this year, I view easing along the lines of the median Summary of Economic Projections policy path as appropriate,” Paulson said, using the Fed’s formal name for the dot plot that shows officials’ forecasts.

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Dahlia Lithwick: And one other thing that I would add is that there is a whole lot of semi-plausible defense in this along the lines of: I’m just following orders.

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Radhika suggests a conversation along the lines of: "When we're hanging out, I'm not really feeling that there's much space for me. I don't feel heard. I'm not really being asked any questions."

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So “Megadoc” is not an autopsy of disaster along the lines of “Hearts of Darkness” or “Burden of Dreams” or “American Movie” or “Jodorowsky’s Dune,” all tales of filmmakers tipping over into tragedy.

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Betty Yee, the former state controller, just finished a campaign swing through rural California, where, she said, voters asked similar questions along the lines of what about us?

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