plot line

noun

1. Usually plot lines. dialogue that advances the plot, as in a play or motion-picture script.

Word History and Origins

Origin of plot line¹

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

This developing plot line, however, stays in the background as customers turn up demanding to look like Beyoncé or requesting micro braids, a labor-intensive torture for overworked hands.

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A Peaky Blinders film will be released soon by Netflix, although Murphy said the plot line is still under lock and key.

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Anna and Harper’s central mother-daughter plot line is so hastily sketched that it barely registers.

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For example, Kelly and Jack later revealed that one plot line involving a dog therapist was set up for the show.

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The TV series will have more breathing space to explore the plot lines from the books without the time constraints of the film.

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When To Use

What is a plot line?

The plot line of a story is the direction that the plot takes or the plot itself—what the story is about, including the action and events that the story tells about. It is often spelled as one word, as plotline.A close synonym is story line. This sense of the word can also be used in the context of a real-life event to refer to one part of what’s happening, as in There’s a new plot line in the corporate scandal. Less commonly, the term plot line refers to a line of dialogue that advances a story’s plot in some way, such as by providing information about what has happened elsewhere. This sense of the word is often used in the plural form plot lines.Example: I thought the novel had a few unnecessary plot lines that didn’t go anywhere.