straight-line
Americanadjective
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Machinery.
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noting a machine or mechanism the working parts of which act or are arranged in a straight line.
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noting a mechanism for causing one part to move along a straight line.
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Accounting. denoting uniform allocation, as in calculating the total depreciation over the life of a depreciable asset, dividing that into equal parts, and depreciating each segment at regular intervals.
noun
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(of a machine) having components that are arranged in a row or that move in a straight line when in operation
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of or relating to a method of depreciation whereby equal charges are made against gross profit for each year of an asset's expected life
Etymology
Origin of straight-line
First recorded in 1835–45
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.
In discussing with Izzy his spirituality, Lev reflects on Jewish history: “It’s never been a straight line and it’s never meant only one fixed thing,” he says.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 2, 2026
In conclusion, Wilson accepts that markets rarely move in a straight line at the pace seen since the March lows.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 8, 2026
The researchers addressed this by using the shortest path in their geometric model of color perception rather than relying on a simple straight line.
From Science Daily • Jun. 7, 2026
Past and present don’t collide so much as they fuse together; they aren’t two opposing places in time, but rather, a straight line.
From Salon • May 25, 2026
The woman nods but keeps her lips pressed together in a straight line.
From "Dragons in a Bag" by Zetta Elliott
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
