outline

[ out-lahyn ]

/ ˈaʊtˌlaɪn /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR outline ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the line by which a figure or object is defined or bounded; contour.

a drawing or sketch restricted to line without shading or modeling of form.

a general sketch, account, or report, indicating only the main features, as of a book, subject, or project: an outline of medieval history; an outline of a speech.

outlines, the essential features or main aspects of something under discussion: At the first meeting, we gave her only the outlines of the project.

Printing. an ornamented type in which the outside contours of each character appear in black, with the inside left white.

verb (used with object), out·lined, out·lin·ing.

to draw the outline of, or draw in outline, as a figure or object.

to give an outline of; sketch the main features of: On the first day, the professor just outlined the course for us.

Nearby words

outlawry, outlay, outleap, outlet, outlier, outline, outline font, outlive, outlook, outlying, outman

Origin of outline

First recorded in 1655–65; out- + line¹

SYNONYMS FOR outline

1 See form.

3 plan, draft, rough, synopsis, summary.

6, 7 delineate, draft.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR outline ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formspre·out·line, noun, verb (used with object), pre·out·lined, pre·out·lin·ing.re·out·line, verb (used with object), re·out·lined, re·out·lin·ing.well-out·lined, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for outline

Just hours after the announcement in Beijing, Republican senators began to outline just how much they disdained the new agreement.
The U.S.-China Climate Deal Is Mostly Hot Air|Tim Mak|November 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“I had this outline that said I was going to be done in nine months,” Caro said.
‘The Power Broker’ Turns 40: How Robert Caro Wrote a Masterpiece|Scott Porch|September 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Sometimes he would just have an outline of the scene and we would build the dialogue out with our own words.
‘Boyhood’ Star Ellar Coltrane: An Astonishing Debut 12 Years in the Making|Kevin Fallon|July 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This spurred Creative Director Adam Isgreen, who also worked on Killer Instinct, to outline of a Phantom Dust reboot—just in case.
Video Games Go Wild for Reboots|Alec Kubas-Meyer|July 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Teardrops flow between the eyes as a flame emanates from the outline of his body.
The Gray Lady Gets an Artistic Makeover|Justin Jones|May 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Mrs. Morris then proceeded to give in fragmentary speeches an outline of the constitution and government of the estate.
Desperate Remedies|Thomas Hardy
The theme was not dissimilar to that which has been here presented in outline.
Notable Events of the Nineteenth Century|Various
The outline of the leafy part is triangular in form, and on either side of the rachis are the tapering pinnæ.
How to Know the Ferns|S. Leonard Bastin
Then it forms a strong and resisting chorion, which imparts to the egg an outline similar to that of a bridges span.
Parasites|T. Spencer Cobbold
A teacher directs a pupil to make an outline before he writes a composition or delivers a speech.
Public Speaking|Clarence Stratton

British Dictionary definitions for outline

outline

/ (ˈaʊtˌlaɪn) /

noun

a preliminary or schematic plan, draft, account, etc

(usually plural) the important features of an argument, theory, work, etc

the line by which an object or figure is or appears to be bounded

a drawing or manner of drawing consisting only of external lines
(as modifier)an outline map

verb (tr)

to draw or display the outline of

to give the main features or general idea of

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

Word Origin and History for outline (1 of 2)

outline

1660s, "lines by which a figure is delineated," from out + line (v.). Meaning "rough draft in words" is from 1759.

Word Origin and History for outline (1 of 2)

outline

1790, "to draw in outline," from outline (n.). Meaning "to describe in general terms" is from 1855. Related: Outlined; outlining.

outline

noun

verb (used with object), out·lined, out·lin·ing.

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of outline

Examples from the Web for outline

British Dictionary definitions for outline

outline

noun

verb (tr)

Word Origin and History for outline (1 of 2)

outline

Word Origin and History for outline (1 of 2)

outline