assembly line

American  

noun

1. an arrangement of machines, tools, and workers in which a product is assembled by having each perform a specific, successive operation on an incomplete unit as it passes by in a series of stages organized in a direct line.

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assembly line British  

noun

1. a sequence of machines, tools, operations, workers, etc, in a factory, arranged so that at each stage a further process is carried out

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assembly line Cultural  

1. A line of factory workers and equipment along which a product being assembled passes consecutively from operation to operation until completed.

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Assembly lines are found in many industries but are particularly associated with automobile manufacturing.

Etymology

Origin of assembly line

An Americanism dating back to 1910–15

Example Sentences

In clipped, fast-moving scenes, Mr. Sayles shifts between the boardroom and the assembly line, and radiates out to develop the roles of attendant characters, from journalists to labor activists to gangsters and rumrunners.

From The Wall Street Journal

At the Adani Group's factory in Mundra, in India's western state of Gujarat, assembly lines churn out photovoltaic panels around the clock.

From Barron's

When they do invest in emerging markets such as India, the emphasis is typically on IT services, analytics, engineering, and professional work, not low-cost assembly lines.

From Barron's

His vision relies on Tesla selling Optimus for industrial purposes, such as working on assembly lines, as well as to the general public for use as caretakers, teachers and even security guards.

From MarketWatch

In a giant factory surrounded by mountains covered in snow, a lift lowers the steel bodies of cars onto the start of an assembly line.

From BBC

Related Words

• production line