between the lines
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I’m happy that you have investments and Social Security and, reading between the lines, that you are enjoying a comfortable retirement with your husband.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 20, 2026
He is interested in whatever nonverbal reaction you have between the lines.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 18, 2026
"I can read between the lines, bro," he said.
From Barron's • Feb. 14, 2026
What’s far more important is what’s not being said in the movie, which appears when you read between the lines.
From Salon • Feb. 1, 2026
A dread fell on them, even as they passed between the lines of ancient stones and so came to the Dimholt.
From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien
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.
