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 • Mar. 4, 2026

Victor Nechita, Tesla’s Cybercab vehicle program manager, announced his departure as the first Cybercab rolled off the assembly line.

From Barron's • Feb. 27, 2026

Together with Foxconn, it has built a modest assembly line in Houston, where it makes AI servers, which will be used to power more AI features that Apple adds to its devices.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 24, 2026

In Chipotle’s case, Ells freely admits his muse was taquerías in San Francisco’s Mission District that prepped burritos in the assembly line manner and size his company would soon imitate.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2026

As if we’ve worked twenty years together on an assembly line, Epsilon-5 and I snip samples, preparing dishes without needing to tell each other what we are doing or what to do next.

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera

Related Words

• production line