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white line

American  

noun

  1. a stripe of white paint, tiles, or the like, that marks the center or outer edge of a road.

  2. a white layer in a horse's hoof.

  3. any blank or white part, line, stripe, or margin.


white line British  

noun

  1. a line or strip of white in the centre of a road to separate traffic going in different directions

  2. a white lamination in the hoof of a horse

"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

Etymology

Origin of white line

First recorded in 1590–1600

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:

Like sticky notes, rolling suitcases and the yellow first-down line in football, the solid white line on highways now sounds obvious.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 4, 2026

And I think it's just the line that you take, which is the same line we've all taken for years, where you come in, you kind of cut part of the white line.

From BBC Jun. 9, 2026

“When they crossed the white line, they came together.”

From BBC May 10, 2026

“After the click, the video display shut down with only a white line visible to crew members.”

From Seattle Times Dec. 28, 2023

The wheel felt like an alien thing in my hands as I followed the white line of the highway.

From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison

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