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View synonyms for party line

party line

[pahr-tee lahyn, pahr-tee lahyn]

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.



party line

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

“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
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Other Word Forms

  • party-line adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of party line1

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35
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Idioms and Phrases

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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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.

Ross accused Green and SNP MSPs of "toeing the party line" instead of backing a bill that could save lives.

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Keeping those marginal rates permanently intact was a key feature of the law, which the Republican-controlled House and Senate passed along party lines.

Read more on MarketWatch

Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist University Institute for Public Opinion, said his polling suggested Americans were largely split down party lines when it came to assigning fault for the shutdown.

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Hence their willingness to fire employees or deplatform entertainers who do not toe the party line.

Read more on Salon

Republicans in Congress have generally been toeing the party line with their response to Kimmel's suspension as the nation is shaken by the political and cultural aftershocks of Kirk's killing.

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