water line

or wa·ter·line

noun

Nautical. the part of the outside of a ship's hull that is just at the water level.

Naval Architecture. any of a series of lines on the hull plans of a vessel representing the level to which the vessel is immersed or the bottom of the keel.Compare load line, Plimsoll line.

the line in which water at its surface borders upon a floating body.

water level(def 2).

Also called watermark. a line indicating the former level or passage of water: A water line all around the cellar served as a reminder of the flood.

a pipe, hose, tube, or other line for conveying water.

Nearby words

water lettuce, water level, water lily, water lily family, water lily tulip, water line, water locust, water loss, water louse, water main, water meadow

Origin of water line

First recorded in 1615–25

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for waterline

Meanwhile, the rest of hull is wide at the waterline and slopes inward.
Can the Navy's $12 Billion Stealth Destroyer Stay Afloat?|Dave Majumdar|October 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His last novel, Waterline was the story of a one-time shipbuilder in the Glasgow yards, now broken by loss.
Granta’s List of Best British Novelists Today|Lucy Scholes|April 15, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He had seen them before on their first unsuccessful trip to the Waterline.
Rimrock Trail|J. Allan Dunn
A shell struck the second funnel: five others hit her side at the waterline, but fortunately not in dangerous places.
World's War Events, Vol. I|Various

Her bow was quite badly damaged, but the break did not extend below the waterline.
The Boy Pilot of the Lakes|Frank V. Webster
If below the waterline, before many minutes were past she would be sinking under him.
In Clive's Command|Herbert Strang
A few hours later we were getting in our cargo, and soon the Jenny was loaded almost to the waterline with smalls.
Dry Fish and Wet|Anthon Bernhard Elias Nilsen

British Dictionary definitions for waterline

water line

noun

a line marked at the level around a vessel's hull to which the vessel will be immersed when afloat

a line marking the level reached by a body of water

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012