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Synonyms

streamline

American  
[streem-lahyn] / ˈstrimˌlaɪn /

noun

  1. a teardrop line of contour offering the least possible resistance to a current of air, water, etc.

  2. the path of a particle that is flowing steadily and without turbulence in a fluid past an object.

verb (used with object)

streamlined, streamlining

  1. to make streamlined.

  2. to alter in order to make more efficient or simple.

adjective

  1. streamlined.

streamline British  
/ ˈstriːmˌlaɪn /

noun

  1. a contour on a body that offers the minimum resistance to a gas or liquid flowing around it

  2. an imaginary line in a fluid such that the tangent at any point indicates the direction of the velocity of a particle of the fluid at that point

"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

verb

  1. to make streamlined

"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
streamline Scientific  
/ strēm′līn′ /

  1. To construct or reconstruct an object to reduce the amount of drag it undergoes as it moves through a fluid, especially air or water.

streamline Cultural  

  1. The line traced by a liquid or gas as it moves. Streamlines are most commonly used in describing the flow of a liquid or gas around a solid object.

Discover More

A “streamlined” design is one in which objects that move through a gas or liquid are shaped to match these lines, and therefore reduce the energy required to produce that motion.

Etymology

Origin of streamline

First recorded in 1870–75; stream + line 1

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.

“We’re not talking about actually funding the building of factories. We’re talking about creating a streamlined environment for these types of housing units to be built.”

From Los Angeles Times

Among them were the Independent Petroleum Assn. of America, which praised the administration for its “efforts to reform and streamline regulations governing greenhouse gas emissions.”

From Los Angeles Times

What seems inevitable is that AI will increasingly shape the back end of live music — streamlining workflows, reducing costs and organizing data.

From Los Angeles Times

Ms. Fennell has greatly streamlined the complicated plot of Emily Brontë’s novel, eliminating the framing device, the supernatural element, several peripheral figures and a second generation of characters.

From The Wall Street Journal

Years of repetition sharpens up the accuracy and streamlines the process.

From BBC

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.