draw the line

Cultural  

1. To set a limit, as of acceptable behavior: “Phil sometimes drank a few beers, but generally he knew when to draw the line.”

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

draw the line

Yet it provides few hints of how to draw the line in tougher cases.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026

“But you’ve got to draw the line somewhere.”

From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2026

It is, no doubt, an encouraging sign that five justices will still draw the line somewhere.

From Slate ● May 28, 2026

"So, as much as they don't want to talk about the past, it is key to understanding that in order to be able to rewrite the narrative and draw the line, in my opinion."

From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2026

The ground was rutted from past rains, but had hardened in the late summer drought, so they had to give up on sneaker toes and draw the line with a stick.

From "Bridge to Terabithia" by Katherine Paterson