line drawing

American

noun

a drawing done exclusively in line, providing gradations in tone entirely through variations in width and density.

line drawing British

noun

a drawing made with lines only, gradations in tone being provided by the spacing and thickness of the lines

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of line drawing

First recorded in 1890–95

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.

But if Carl Richards was invited to the party — as he should be — the group might emerge with just a line drawing accompanied by a few words.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 16, 2026

Not those hairline millimetre is he on or off line drawing nonsense situations.

From BBC • Feb. 15, 2026

There is a way to avoid line drawing altogether, and to do it constitutionally.

From Slate • Aug. 27, 2025

Since then, they’ve had a line drawing of a feminine figure leaning comfortably against a large orangutan on their left bicep.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 11, 2024

I flipped to a clean page in the sketch pad and made a line drawing of the snout, filling in the defensive wounds from the seal in all of the right spots.

From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023