logline

American  

[lawg-lahyn, log-] / ˈlɔgˌlaɪn, ˈlɒg- /

Or log line

noun

1. a one to two sentence synopsis of a program, script, screenplay, or book, often used to sell the work to a producer or publisher.

   We've got to make sure the logline is perfect when we go pitch this idea.

2. Nautical a length of rope with knots tied 7 fathoms apart, by which a log or patent log is streamed in order to measure the speed of a ship.

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Etymology

Origin of logline

First recorded in 1605–15

Example Sentences

According to the film’s logline, it has been four years since the events of “No Way Home,” which saw Peter have to make everyone forget who he is to save the world.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026

I’m not just referring to the objective stated in its logline, “that monsters aren’t born, they’re made . . . by us.”

From Salon • Oct. 29, 2025

The logline portends a comedy, possibly a parody, even a satire.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 1, 2025

The logline, “A woman swaps bodies with a chair, and everyone likes her better as a chair” is easily one of the funniest film synopses I’ve ever read in my life.

From Salon • Feb. 6, 2025

A wager ensued between the two captains, to be decided when there should be sufficient wind: Kennedy therefore examined the logline, and, being satisfied with it, he determined to throw the log himself.

From Memoirs of Benjamin Franklin; Written by Himself. [Vol. 1 of 2] With His Most Interesting Essays, Letters, and Miscellaneous Writings; Familiar, Moral, Political, Economical, and Philosophical by Franklin, Benjamin