through-line

British

noun

a theme or idea that runs from the beginning to the end of a book, film, etc

"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

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.

The abdication of curatorial responsibility here might have been at least partially forgivable if the show were stuffed with so much engaging work that finding a unifying through-line proved nearly impossible.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

"You find your way in and the through-line, and it becomes easier to learn."

From BBC • Feb. 18, 2026

So what stands out as the through-line of these different stories?

From Salon • Sep. 28, 2024

There is no through-line here, no moral lesson as such; just the chaotic, meaningless interplay of life force, personalities and contingency.

From New York Times • Feb. 9, 2024

Now, materiality in general is the principal through-line defining hugely diverse work made by the show’s 39 artists.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 3, 2023

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