party line

American  

[pahr-tee lahyn, pahr-tee lahyn] / ˈpɑr ti ˈlaɪn, ˈpɑr ti ˌlaɪn /

noun

1. the authorized, prescribed policies and practices of a group, especially of the Communist Party, usually followed by the members without deviation; official philosophy or credo.

2. the guiding policy, tenets, or practices of a political party.

   The judge was chosen on party lines.

3. a telephone line connecting the telephones of a number of subscribers by one circuit to a central office, used in some rural areas.

4. the boundary line separating adjoining properties.

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party line British  

noun

1. a telephone line serving two or more subscribers

2. the policies or dogma of a political party, to which all members are expected to subscribe

3. the boundary between adjoining property

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party line Idioms  

1. The official policy of an organization or government, as in The current party line opposes legalized abortion in all cases. This term, dating from about 1830, was originally used for a political party's official policy but in the mid-1900s was almost exclusively applied to the rigid dicta of the Soviet Communist Party. Since then it has returned to looser use.

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Other Word Forms

• party-line
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of party line

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35

Example Sentences

“Transitory” went from a party line to a punchline, one the Fed is still trying to live down.

From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026

News had just come that the Nazi-Soviet Pact had been signed; the party line had changed.

From Salon • Feb. 7, 2026

However, the government as a whole has stayed neutral on the issue, with ministers and MPs able to vote with their conscience rather than having to stick to a party line.

From BBC • Jan. 30, 2026

That’s OK: It’s better to have a media landscape as diverse as America rather than one in which outlets sing from the same party line.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 30, 2025

It was a party line, which meant everyone who had a phone could listen in on conversations.

From Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm