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

---

Etymology

Origin of white line

First recorded in 1590–1600

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

white line

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

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

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 28, 2023

Whatever boardroom activities are taking place has nothing to do with a professional footballer once they cross the white line.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2023

"You'd see the people from the East pause and take a deep breath," he recalled, "before they crossed the white line because they understood what it meant. Almost everybody did and immediately they were cheered."

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau