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

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

North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis also pressed Kennedy and, most surprisingly, so did Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, the Republican whip who rarely strays from the party line.

From Slate • Sep. 6, 2025

Elected to Cardiff Bay in 2016, he was one of the more prominent Labour backbench members and was never afraid to go against the party line.

From BBC • Aug. 26, 2025

Even if I’d had a telephone, like some of the folks closer to town did, I wouldn’t have needed to listen in on the party line.

From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson