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:
Beijing has not yet made a final decision regarding the proposal for the COP33 summit, both sources said, nor is there a clear timeline for doing so.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
We contacted a variety of figures in the British athletics community, people who know Baptiste, the UK Foreign Office, and authorities in Morocco in order to piece together the timeline of events.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
At his July press conference, Warsh acknowledged public frustration with price pressures while tempering expectations that the central bank could compress the timeline by which inflation would fall to its 2% goal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
Rams coach Sean McVay is not putting a hard timeline on it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
Mr. Pape calls us to attention and starts the timeline presentations from my far right.
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
While the timelines on commercially meaningful quantum computers are sometimes vague and debated, enterprises are investing today.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Many modern weapons have long funding, order, production, and delivery timelines, making it hard to swiftly replace munitions once they are used.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
The Board of Peace official said the timelines for each phase will vary, and that different sectors of Gaza could be at different stages as well.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
DWP officials concede they’re hampered by budget restraints, manpower limitations, long project timelines and the sizable footprint of the repairs needed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
Then we dance and take silly selfies, flooding dashboards and timelines around the world.
From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas
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.
