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party line

[ pahr-tee lahyn for 1, 2; pahr-tee lahyn for 3, 4 ]
/ ˈpɑr ti ˈlaɪn for 1, 2; ˈpɑr ti ˌlaɪn for 3, 4 /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR party line ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.
the guiding policy, tenets, or practices of a political party: The judge was chosen on party lines.
a telephone line connecting the telephones of a number of subscribers by one circuit to a central office, used in some rural areas.
the boundary line separating adjoining properties.

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RELATED WORDS

line, platform, policy, position, bandwagon

Nearby words

  1. parturition,
  2. partway,
  3. party,
  4. party boat,
  5. party girl,
  6. party liner,
  7. party list,
  8. party man,
  9. party politics,
  10. party poop

Origin of party line

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35
Related formspar·ty-line, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for party line

British Dictionary definitions for party line

party line

noun

a telephone line serving two or more subscribers
the policies or dogma of a political party, to which all members are expected to subscribe
mainly US 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
Idioms and Phrases with party line

party line

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.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.