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

See Examples For:

color line

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

Historically, it has fallen to young, poor and working-class people on both sides of the color line to make that sacrifice.

From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2025

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

From Salon ● Jun. 3, 2025

Everyone should wear No. 42 jerseys in honor of Robinson, who famously broke baseball’s color line and also fought segregation in the military.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 4, 2025

For years a white businessman named Ralph Johns had tried to convince A&T students to defy the color line in Greensboro.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson