color line

American  

[kuhl-er lahyn] / ˈkʌl ər ˌlaɪn /

noun

1. Also called color bar.  social or political restriction or distinction based on differences of skin pigmentation, as between white and Black people.

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idioms

1. draw the color line, to observe a color line.

Etymology

Origin of color line

An Americanism dating back to 1860–65

Example Sentences

When Jackie Robinson entered the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962, his informational plaque didn’t mention that he had broken baseball’s color line.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025

There is economic anxiety on both sides of the color line.

From Salon • Jun. 3, 2025

We know the history and present of this country and the color line.

From Salon • Sep. 14, 2023

In late 2014 I was hired to play friend #3 in a new commercial for Garnier Nutrisse, the at-home hair color line.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 22, 2023

The color line no longer bothered C.P., but there remained the far less visible but just as substantial line of class separating himself from people like Howard Clement.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson