timeline

Or time line

[tahym-lahyn]

noun

1. a linear representation of important events in the order in which they occurred.

2. a schedule; timetable.

3. Digital Technology.

   1. a collection of online posts or updates associated with a specific social media account, in reverse chronological order.

   2. timeline bar.

4. 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.

timeline

/ ˈtaɪmˌlaɪn /

noun

1. a graphic representation showing the passage of time as a line

2. a time frame during which something is scheduled to happen

Word History and Origins

Origin of timeline¹

First recorded in 1950–55; time ( def. ) + line ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

The family pieced together the last hours of Cole's life and built a timeline of where the teenager had gone, hoping for clues.

Read more on BBC

China compressed that timeline dramatically through AI automation.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Newly examined fossils show that modern sharks began developing extremely large body sizes far earlier in their evolutionary timeline than scientists once thought.

Read more on Science Daily

Concerns about the timeline Middleton would face to pursue the cases Gascón targeted were raised almost immediately after he joined the D.A.’s office.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The story is augmented by timelines that add a contextual charm all their own.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• agenda 
• timetable 

When To Use

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.