lines
Britishplural noun
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general appearance or outline
a car with fine lines
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a plan of procedure or construction
built on traditional lines
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the spoken words of a theatrical presentation
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the words of a particular role
he forgot his lines
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informal a marriage certificate
marriage lines
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luck, fate, or fortune (esp in the phrase hard lines )
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rows of tents, buildings, temporary stabling, etc, in a military camp
transport lines
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a defensive position, row of trenches, or other fortification
we broke through the enemy lines
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a school punishment of writing the same sentence or phrase out a specified number of times
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the phrases or sentences so written out
a hundred lines
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to understand or find an implicit meaning in addition to the obvious one
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.
"The very worst reports are those written to be read 'between the lines', and if that is what we have here, then it does no credit to the investigators," he said.
From BBC • Jul. 15, 2025
This is the result of a striking effort by companies—especially American companies—to reduce their supply lines’ dependency on China.
From Slate • Aug. 11, 2023
Even so, the outbreak highlights that despite cruise lines’ efforts to impose strict public health rules, the virus is still finding a way on board.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 6, 2021
Another senior executive at a major British food retailer told Reuters they had seen no signs yet of Britons buying so-called ‘bunker lines’ - toilet paper, bottled water and tinned food.
From Reuters • Feb. 19, 2019
Thus ‘isothermal’ is quite of modern invention; but what a long story it would be to tell the meaning of ‘isothermal lines’, all which is summed up in and saved by the word.
From English Past and Present by Palmer, Abram Smythe
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.
