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• in-line
  in-line

  adjective

  (of an internal-combustion engine) having the cylinders ranged side by side in one or more rows along the crankshaft.
• in line
  in line

  Also, in line with . In conformity or agreement; within ordinary or proper limits. For example, The new policy was intended to keep prices in line with their competitors , or It's up to the supervisor to keep the nurses in line . Also see fall in line .

in-line

American  

[in-lahyn, in-lahyn] / ˌɪnˈlaɪn, ˈɪnˌlaɪn /

adjective

1. (of an internal-combustion engine) having the cylinders ranged side by side in one or more rows along the crankshaft.

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in-line British  

adjective

1. denoting a linked sequence of manufacturing processes

2. denoting an internal-combustion engine having its cylinders arranged in a line

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in line Idioms  

1. Also, in line with . In conformity or agreement; within ordinary or proper limits. For example, The new policy was intended to keep prices in line with their competitors , or It's up to the supervisor to keep the nurses in line . Also see fall in line .

2. Also, on line . Waiting behind others in a row or queue. For example, The children stood in line for their lunches , or There were at least 50 persons on line for opera tickets .

3. in line for . Next in order for, as in He is next in line for the presidency . All of these terms employ line in the sense of “an orderly row or series of persons or objects,” a usage dating from the 1500s.

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Etymology

Origin of in-line

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

But three things have since changed for Intel, according to Lipacis, who upgraded the stock to outperform from in-line following Thursday afternoon’s earnings report.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 24, 2026

Texas Instruments jumped on strong first-quarter results, while ServiceNow plunged after in-line earnings.

From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026

The research focused on in-line filtration, a method in which water is first treated with a coagulant and then passed through a sand filter.

From Science Daily • Apr. 20, 2026

Currency was a headwind and North American sales were weak, but the overall adjusted gross margin was slightly ahead of the bank’s estimate with networks margins coming in-line.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

It was the ‘Bullet N°2’ racing car, the first with an eight-cylinder, in-line engine, according to Eugene Hammond.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

Related Words

• consecutive
• nonstop
• short
• smooth
• solid
• straightforward
• successive
• true