line drawing

American

noun

a drawing done exclusively in line, providing gradations in tone entirely through variations in width and density.

line drawing British

noun

a drawing made with lines only, gradations in tone being provided by the spacing and thickness of the lines

"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

Etymology

Origin of line drawing

First recorded in 1890–95

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.

See Examples For:

line drawing

They break norms, provoke endless litigation, and inspire politicians to invest more time in line drawing than in policy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

The loaf came tightly wrapped in cling film with a small white sticker bearing a line drawing of a blue barn.

From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026

But if Carl Richards was invited to the party — as he should be — the group might emerge with just a line drawing accompanied by a few words.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 16, 2026

Not those hairline millimetre is he on or off line drawing nonsense situations.

From BBC ● Feb. 15, 2026

But on the side where the fortune would go, there was just a line drawing of a rose—otherwise, it was totally blank.

From "The Thing About Jellyfish" by Ali Benjamin

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023