down-the-line
Americanadjective
adverb
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Also, all along the line . All the way, throughout. For example, We've found numerous errors down the line . The first term dates from the mid-1900s, the variant from the second half of the 1800s.
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Also, down the road . At a future point or end. For example, Somewhere down the road I think he'll be elected to high office . [Second half of 1900s]
Etymology
Origin of down-the-line
First recorded in 1895–1900
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.
With Alcaraz serving to stay in the match in the 12th game, Sinner forced deuce with a down-the-line backhand before dropping to the floor as consecutive errors from his opponent confirmed the Italian's successful title defence.
From BBC
There were sudden shifts and crazy bounces, like when a down-the-line single from Bo Bichette in the top of the seventh ricocheted off a sound technician along the elbow of the wall in foul territory, allowing Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to score from first with the help of an errant throw from Teoscar Hernández.
From Los Angeles Times
What kind of presidential campaign could possibly sustain the public opposition of the party’s handpicked congressional leaders, people who had heretofore been down-the-line Biden loyalists and the very people who had helped secure Biden’s legislative achievements with their hard work and arm-twisting?
From Slate
“I could have gone somewhere else and probably played a lot more. But this was more of a down-the-line decision. I’ve always wanted to be a dawg, man. I’m really loyal to the purple and gold. This decision, for me, was bigger than football. It’s a character thing, to stick it out. I wanted to spend my last year with my brothers, no matter what the role was.”
From Seattle Times
Mike Johnson has been a down-the-line right-wing congressman.
From Slate
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.
