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

Tesla said last month that the first Cybercab had rolled off the assembly line as the company aims to begin volume production of a vehicle that lacks both pedals and a steering wheel.

From MarketWatch

Tesla said last month that the first Cybercab had rolled off the assembly line as the company aims to begin volume production of a vehicle that lacks both pedals and a steering wheel.

From MarketWatch

The assembly lines in Houston employ hundreds of people and are tiny relative to those in Asia, where facilities may have hundreds of thousands of people making iPhones.

From The Wall Street Journal

For starters, current robots aren’t built on an assembly line and likely cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

From Barron's

As the U.S. assembly line ramps up, it will meet local demand, he said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• production line