timeline
Americannoun
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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.
Etymology
Origin of timeline
First recorded in 1950–55; time ( def. ) + line 1 ( def. )
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 council recently decided to spend up to $350,000 for an outside investigation and report, including a timeline “leading up to the visit to California.”
First, they analyzed data from 133 protein coding genes alongside fossil information to build a revised evolutionary timeline.
From Science Daily
According to a timeline provided by the Buffalo Police Department, Shah Alam's lawyer reported him missing on 22 February, saying he had been released to federal authorities on 19 February and had no identification.
From BBC
So given the regulatory timeline and existing distribution deals, we are years away from any major change to the services currently offered to viewers.
From BBC
But Target's deadline to change its cereal offerings - by this spring - puts its ahead of some rivals and ahead of some food companies' multi-year timelines.
From BBC
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.