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.

---

Etymology

Origin of logline

First recorded in 1605–15

Example Sentences

According to the show’s logline, it’s a “modern reimagining of the iconic mystery-solving group of teens and their very special dog” that takes place at summer camp.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026

Balfe: I think the logline I saw was “nurse goes back to Scotland and then goes back 200 years in time and meets a Highlander.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2026

The reluctant superhero then sets off on a quest to face “an unexpected and ruthless adversary,” according to the movie’s logline.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 23, 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 two “etc, etc’s” in the last line stand for all the rest of the honest Squire’s speech, which, as his sailor brother said, was as long as the logline.

From From Squire to Squatter A Tale of the Old Land and the New by Stables, Gordon