timeline
Americannoun
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timelines
plural
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a linear representation of important events in the order in which they occurred.
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a schedule; timetable.
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Digital Technology.
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a collection of online posts or updates associated with a specific social media account, in reverse chronological order.
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an alternate reality in which events unfold differently, often beginning at a single identifiable moment of divergence that establishes a distinct but recognizable parallel existence: We’re stuck in the darkest timeline, trapped in a dystopian nightmare.
My free-love hippie mom just got engaged to a hedge fund manager—what timeline am I living in?
We’re stuck in the darkest timeline, trapped in a dystopian nightmare.
noun
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a graphic representation showing the passage of time as a line
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a time frame during which something is scheduled to happen
Usage
What is a timeline? A timeline is a visual representation of chronological events on a line. Timelines are often used in videos, textbooks, articles, or other media that is recounting history. In online news and entertainment, a timeline is also often used to keep track of events as they happen, especially for pressing stories such as major world events and important elections. On social media, a timeline is a broad term that refers to a collection of posts on someone’s account. For example, on Twitter, a user’s timeline is full of posts that they and those they follow create in an order determined by algorithm. While some social media sites might officially refer to such a collection as a page, board, or home, they can all casually be called timelines. Example: To recreate a timeline of events from that evening, we will need as many details as possible.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of timeline
First recorded in 1950–55; time ( def. ) + line 1 ( def. )
Explanation
A timeline is a list of important events arranged in the order in which they happened. You might write out a timeline of Civil War battles when you're studying for a big history test. Timelines are often used in history textbooks and biographies — they explain what happened during a certain period of time or to a particular person, starting with the earliest event and moving forward through time. Your own personal timeline, for example, might begin with your birth. Many timelines are represented graphically by an actual line that's dotted with points representing important events.
Vocabulary lists containing timeline
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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Reading: Informational - Middle School
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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:
“Based on the timeline today, it would feel like it would be our group now,” Mozeliak said, “but time will tell.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026
But a timeline on its own is not evidence that the deals were in any way related.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
“The path forward hinges on whether the 30- to 60-day corridor timeline holds and physical loadings actually rise, leaving prices vulnerable to sharp reversals on any setback.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Plans built around an earlier wealth-transfer timeline stop working on a longer one.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026
“So if you tell me about Y2K, it’ll be fine. Because if it wasn’t fine, your timeline would be all screwed up. Right?”
From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Beyond Ryonex, there exists a universe of algo-manipulating copypastas that concern everything from authentic Afrobeats superstars to fake Asian rappers, international holidays to articles of clothing, legit news items to dumbed-down historical timelines.
From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2026
They developed "sequenced steps and timelines" while also committing to "flexibility and creativity", the statement said.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
“Lanterns,” which unfolds across two timelines, is the boldest entry so far in James Gunn’s remade DC Universe.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
Nissan and Volvo are still determining their rebate timelines.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
“The cards do not make for the clearest of timelines, but it is very close. Almost immediate, I would think.”
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
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.
