outline
Americannoun
-
outlines
plural
-
the line by which a figure or object is defined or bounded; contour.
-
a drawing or sketch restricted to line without shading or modeling of form.
-
a general sketch, account, or report, indicating only the main features, as of a book, subject, or project.
an outline of medieval history; an outline of a speech.
-
outlines, the essential features or main aspects of something under discussion.
At the first meeting, we gave her only the outlines of the project.
-
Printing. an ornamented type in which the outside contours of each character appear in black, with the inside left white.
verb (used with object)
-
outlines,
present (3rd person singular)
-
outlined,
past participle, past
-
outlining
present participle
noun
-
a preliminary or schematic plan, draft, account, etc
-
(usually plural) the important features of an argument, theory, work, etc
-
the line by which an object or figure is or appears to be bounded
-
-
a drawing or manner of drawing consisting only of external lines
-
( as modifier )
an outline map
-
verb
-
to draw or display the outline of
-
to give the main features or general idea of
Synonym Usage
See form.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
outlinesimple
-
outlinessimple
-
have outlinedperfect
-
has outlinedperfect
-
am outliningprogressive
-
are outliningprogressive
-
is outliningprogressive
-
have been outliningperfect progressive
-
has been outliningperfect progressive
Past
-
outlinedsimple
-
had outlinedperfect
-
was outliningprogressive
-
were outliningprogressive
-
had been outliningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of outline
Explanation
The gist, the essence, the major parts of something — that's its outline. The origins of outline come from the artistic practice of marking a line around the outer edge of a person or shape in a picture before filling it in. Only later, in the 1800s, did it come to be applied to verbal descriptions, too. Technically an outline suggests a condensed form of something, but as any high school or college student knows, course outlines have a habit of being pretty darn long. In 1919 H.G. Wells wrote a book called An Outline of History. Its length? 1,324 pages.
Vocabulary lists containing outline
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Expository Writing, List 2
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Text Structure
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Meanwhile, Oman said discussions with Iran had produced an outline for a temporary arrangement to restore free navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, although political obstacles remain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
EU treaties do not outline such a possibility.
From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2026
It’s really more of an outline for a theatrical work.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
Documents in the petition outline money owed to LIV Golf's creditors with the 30 largest unsecured claims.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
I shrug, making the outline of Dorothy Dingle’s head extra thick.
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
A proposal document sent by governing body the FIA to the six manufacturers in F1 outlines a framework for discussions on engines to be introduced in either 2030 or 2031.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
A line of graphics along one wall outlines the details of each shuttle mission — 135 in all — as vertical stripes of information.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
Astronomers have long depicted distant exoplanets with smooth, circular outlines.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
Whether you already have an account or are considering signing up for one, Laura Saunders outlines the key details.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Sorrento assumed that one of the glowing thermal outlines on the display was me.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
The Raman campaign sent a statement to DSA on Monday during the national committee meeting that outlined her stance on BDS.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
Germany’s Commerzbank and Norway’s DNB are among those to have outlined plans to shed jobs this year, the Journal said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
The government has also outlined plans for stronger criminal penalties for those convicted of tampering with either undersea internet cables or energy pipelines.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
Its outlined forms of three rabbits and a deer either take shape out of Hua’s smoky ink washes or evanesce into them, a depiction of ecological destruction that seems contemporary.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
Then in each corner with the largest letters of all, made with green and outlined in red, she wrote her initials—M.K.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
Much work remains to be done to finesse the conclusions, and a paper outlining the results is yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 26, 2026
Venezuelan prosecutors haven’t provided documents outlining the charges or the evidence against Rincón, his lawyer said in a court filing made last month.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
But the company repeatedly delayed the vehicle, with Musk outlining several new targets and timelines that were missed.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026
On Monday, hundreds of professional stand-up comedians flooded Instagram and TikTok with front-facing videos outlining an issue in the comedy community that had been brewing for months.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
Here he pointed to midsky and the stars outlining the jaguar ready to pounce.
From "The Ugly One" by Leanne Statland Ellis
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
