below the line
adverb
line131
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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
And contractions in television and film production in-state has slowed, hitting below the line crew members represented by International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2025
"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
His face was deeply tanned by sun and weather; and the scar of a sabre-cut above his left eye caused the eyebrow on that side to be below the line of its fellow.
From The Fatal Cord And The Falcon Rover by Mayne Reid
The Directors Guild of America and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, which represents below-the-line workers on film and TV sets, have also urged the company and the states to resolve the dispute.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
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
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
Since California’s tax credit will apply only to below-the-line costs, increasing the amount beyond what’s offered in Georgia will allow the Golden State’s program to “be roughly equivalent,” Zbur said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2025
And as if those weren’t enough, there’s the world-class beauty we meet in the climax known as Monstro Elisasue, an incredible accomplishment that is entirely the work of these below-the-line artists.
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.
