hairline

American  

[hair-lahyn] / ˈhɛərˌlaɪn /

noun

• hairlines
  plural

1. a very slender line.

2. the lower edge of the hair, especially along the upper forehead.

   a hairline that slowly receded.

3. worsted fabric woven with very fine lines or stripes.

4. Printing.

   1. a very thin line on the face of a type.

   2. a style of type consisting entirely of such lines.

   3. a thin rule for printing fine lines.

   4. undesirable vertical lines between letters, caused by worn matrices.

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adjective

1. narrow or fine as a hair.

   a hairline fracture.

hairline British  

/ ˈhɛəˌlaɪn /

noun

1. the natural margin formed by hair on the head

2. 1. a very narrow line

   2. ( as modifier )

      a hairline crack

3. printing

   1. a thin stroke in a typeface

   2. any typeface consisting of such strokes

   3. thin lines beside a character, produced by worn or poorly cast type

4. a rope or line of hair

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• hairlines
  plural

Etymology

Origin of hairline

First recorded in 1725–35; hair + line ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hairline hairlines

The mask extends from the hairline to underneath the chin.

From Slate ● Oct. 7, 2026

After all, shaving remains the cheapest and quickest way to deal with a receding hairline.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026

Later, he described Robbie Williams as having "more comebacks than his hairline", and said Shaun Ryder and Bez had "aged like service station flowers".

From BBC ● Feb. 28, 2026

It was later revealed that Tucker sustained a hairline fracture in June, which he played through.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 23, 2026

It also revealed a series of scars knotted like bark up his side, around to his back, and climbing up his neck into the back of his hairline.

From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline

They’ve had enough of hiding under hats and obsessively monitoring hairlines.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026

An independent consultant and member of the British Numismatic Trade Association has provided a condition report describing the coin as having "a good cameo appearance" with "light hairlines and handling scuffs throughout".

From BBC ● Apr. 9, 2026

Men have been fighting against their receding hairlines for thousands of years.

From Slate ● Jul. 12, 2022

Back of the day, the NBA players used to look like they were 65, had hairlines back here.

From Salon ● Apr. 3, 2022

The low, irregular hairlines, which seemed even more irregular in contrast to the straight, heavy eyebrows which nearly met.

From "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison

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