three-line whip
Britishnoun
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.
There was a three-line whip issued to attend a kick-about on the beach, where England were sledged by local radio DJs and mingled with other holidaymakers.
From BBC • Dec. 21, 2025
Former prime minister Theresa May defied a three-line whip to vote against the government to preserve the modern slavery protections her government brought in.
From BBC • Jul. 14, 2023
Party enforcers will impose a "three-line whip", their strictest order for lawmakers to back a vote or face disciplinary action.
From Reuters • May 16, 2013
Ministers and aides wedged in like terrified backbenchers under a three-line whip, desperately trying to pull soundbites out of thin air.
From The Guardian • Aug. 26, 2012
Members dwelling temporarily on the Western Front had reluctantly torn themselves from their dug-outs on the receipt of a three-line whip, and had repaired post-haste to Westminster.
From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 153, August 1, 1917. by Various
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.
