below the line
adverb
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below the line
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below-the-line
below-the-lineadjectivedenoting the entries printed below the horizontal line on a company's profit-and-loss account that show how any profit is to be distributed
below the line
Americanadverb
Bridge.
below-the-line
British
adjective
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denoting the entries printed below the horizontal line on a company's profit-and-loss account that show how any profit is to be distributed
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(of an advertising campaign) employing sales promotions, direct marketing, in-store exhibitions and displays, trade shows, sponsorship, and merchandising that do not involve an advertising agency
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(in national accounts) below the horizontal line separating revenue from capital transactions Compare above-the-line
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
But the prospect of a stretch without Tatum provided the perfect timing for the Celtics to duck below the line and clean up their finances.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 28, 2026
"Seeing this is already intimidating if you are below the line."
From BBC ● Apr. 15, 2025
The ball instead hit an overhang just below the line for a home run.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 5, 2023
“With Bauer, we were clearly over,” Friedman said, adding that the team will not try to dump salary at some point this season to get back below the line.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 2, 2023
“No, sir,” reiterated Pete, “we’s too far below the line, ain’t never heard of sech a thing down here.”
From The House of Fulfilment by Martin, George Madden
Originally known as CBS All Access, Paramount+ rebranded in 2021 and has had similarly limited awards success, with programs such as “1923,” “Tulsa King,” “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” and “Picard” earning below-the-line recognition.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2026
Stanton says increase in operating profit suggests the airline’s core operations remained strong, but the final reported result carried the effect of disruption, financing, non-operating or below-the-line factors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026
Mr. Eyman—a prolific author of film biographies, including books on John Wayne, John Ford, Mary Pickford and Cary Grant—is astute about Crawford’s below-the-line collaborators at MGM.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
Will Los Angeles still be a place where middle class, below-the-line entertainment workers can make a living and new productions can pencil out, or has the city permanently ceded that ground?
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2025
As with its nominations in many of the below-the-line categories, the sound in “Dune: Part Two” is vital to establishing the film’s epic scope, rendering it more than deserving of winning the Oscar.
From Salon ● Feb. 28, 2025
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
