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see under 1 (def 31).
a mark or stroke long in proportion to its breadth, made with a pen, pencil, tool, etc., on a surface:
a line down the middle of the page.
mathematics. a continuous extent of length, straight or curved, without breadth or thickness; the trace of a moving point.
something arranged along a line, especially a straight line; a row or series:
a line of trees.
a number of persons standing one behind the other and waiting their turns at or for something; queue.
something resembling a traced line, as a band of color, a seam, or a furrow:
lines of stratification in rock.
a furrow or wrinkle on the face, neck, etc.:
lines around the eyes.
an indication of demarcation; boundary; limit:
the county line; a fine line between right and wrong.
a row of written or printed letters, words, etc.:
a page of 30 lines.
a verse of poetry:
a line in iambic pentameter contains five feet.
usually, lines. the words of an actor’s part in a drama, musical comedy, etc.:
to rehe-rs- one’s lines.
a short written message:
drop me a line when you’re on vacation.
a system of public conveyances, as buses or trains, plying regularly over a fixed route:
the northbound line at state street.
a transportation or conveyance company:
a steamship line.
a course of direction; route:
the line of march down main street.
a course of action, procedure, thought, policy, etc.:
that newspaper follows the communist line.
a piece of pertinent or useful information (usually followed by on):
i’ve got a line on a good used car.
a series of generations of persons, animals, or plants descended from a common ancestor:
a line of kings.
a department of activity; occupation or business:
what line are you in?
informal. a mode of conversation, especially one that is glib or exaggerated in order to impress or influence another person:
he really handed her a line about his rich relatives.
a straight line drawn from an observed object to the fovea of the eye.
lines.

the outer form or proportions of a ship, building, etc.:
a ship of fine lines.
a general form, as of an event or something that is made, which may be the basis of comparison, imitation, etc.:
two books written along the same lines.
a person’s lot or portion:
to endure the hard lines of poverty.
chiefly british. a certificate of marriage.

a circle of the terrestrial or celestial sphere:
the equinoctial line.
(def 7).
fine arts.

a mark made by a pencil, brush, or the like, that defines the contour of a shape, forms hatching, etc.
the edge of a shape.

television. one scanning line.
telecommunications.

a telephone connection:
please hold the line.
a wire circuit connecting two or more pieces of electric apparatus, especially the wire or wires connecting points or stations in a telegraph or telephone system, or the system itself.

the line, geography. the equator.
a stock of commercial goods of the same general cl-ss but having a range of styles, sizes, prices, or quality:
the company’s line of shoes.
an -ssembly line.
law. a limit defining one estate from another; the outline or boundary of a piece of real estate.
bridge. a line on a score sheet that separates points scored toward game (below the line) from points scored by setting a contract, having honors, etc. (above the line)
music. any of the straight, horizontal, parallel strokes of the staff, or one placed above or below the staff.
military.

a defensive position or front.
a series of fortifications:
the maginot line.
usually, lines. a distribution of troops, sentries, etc., for the defense of a position or for an attack:
behind the enemy’s lines.
the body of personnel const-tuting the combatant forces of an army, as distinguished from the supply services and staff corps.

an arrangement of troops of an army or of ships of a fleet as drawn up for battle:
line of battle.
a body or formation of troops or ships drawn up abreast (distinguished from (def 6.)).
the cl-ss of officers serving with combatant units or warships.
the regular forces of an army or navy.
that part of an administrative organization consisting of persons actively engaged on a given project.
compare 1 (def 4).
a thread, string, cord, rope, or the like.
a clothesline:
the wash hanging on the line.
a cord, wire, or the like, used for measuring or as a guide.
nautical.

a pipe or hose:
a steam line.
a rope or cable used at sea.

slang. a small quant-ty of cocaine arranged in the form of a slender thread or line, as for sniffing.
also, ligne. a unit equal to 1/40 (0.025) inch (0.64 mm), for measuring the diameter of b-ttons.
angling. a length of nylon, silk, linen, cord, or the like, to which are attached the leader, hook, sinker, float, etc.
football.

either of the two front rows of opposing players lined up opposite each other on the :
a four-man line.
the line of scrimmage.

the betting odds established by bookmakers for events not covered by pari-mutuel betting, especially sporting events, as football or basketball.
ice hockey. the two wings and center who make up a team’s offensive unit.
fencing. any of the four divisions of the portion of a fencer’s body on which a touch can be scored, taken as an area of attack or defense.
textiles. the longer and preferred flax or hemp fibers.
compare 2 (def 2).
fox hunting. the trail of scent left by a fox.
a unit of length equivalent to 1/12 (0.0833) inch (2.12 millimeters).
insurance.

a cl-ss or type of insurance:
casualty line.
the amount of insurance written for a particular risk.

australian slang. a girl or woman.
to take a position in a line; range (often followed by up):
to line up before the start of a parade.
baseball.

to hit a .
to line out.

to bring into a line, or into line with others (often followed by up):
to line up troops.
to mark with a line or lines:
to line paper for writing.
to sketch verbally or in writing; (often followed by out):
we followed the plan he had lined out.
to arrange a line along:
to line a coast with colonies.
to form a line along:
rocks lined the drive.
to apply to (the eyes).
to delineate with or as if with lines; draw:
to line the silhouette of a person’s head.
archaic. to measure or test with a line.
line out,

baseball. to be put out by hitting a line drive caught on the fly by a player of the opposing team.
to execute or perform:
he lined out a few songs upon request.

line up, to secure; make available:
to line up support; to line up a speaker for the banquet.
bring / come / get into line,

to become or cause to become straight, as in a row:
the members of the marching band got into line.
to conform or cause to conform or agree:
they were persuaded to come into line with the party’s policy.

cross the line, to go beyond accepted standards of behavior:
his outburst crossed the line between heated argument and offensive vilification.
sometimes, cross a boundary.
down the line,

in all ways; thoroughly; fully:
it’s a fine house right down the line—well-built, roomy, attractive.
in the future.

draw the line, to impose a restriction; limit:
they might exaggerate but would draw the line at outright lying.
go up in one’s lines, theater. to forget one’s part during a performance.
also, british, go up on one’s lines.
hold the line, to maintain the status quo, especially in order to forestall unfavorable developments:
we’re trying to hold the line on prices.
in line,

in alignment; straight.
in conformity or agreement.
in control (of one’s conduct):
to keep one’s temper in line.
prepared; ready.
waiting one behind the other in a queue:
there were eight people in line at the teller’s window.

in line with, in agreement or conformity with:
the action taken was in line with her decision.
in the line of duty, in the execution of the duties belonging to some occupation, especially with regard to the responsibility for life and death:
a policeman wounded in the line of duty.
also, in line of duty.
lay it on the line, informal.

to give money; pay.
to give the required information; speak directly or frankly:
i’m going to stop being polite and lay it on the line.

off line,

occurring or functioning away from an -ssembly line, work process, etc.
not in operation; not functioning.

on a line, baseball. (of a batted or thrown ball) through the air in an approximately straight line from the point of impact or delivery:
hit on a line between third and short; thrown in on a line from the center fielder.
on line,

on or part of an -ssembly line:
production will be improved when the new welding equipment is on line.
in or into operation:
the manufacturing facilities will be on line before november.
computers. actively linked to a computer:
the printer is not yet on line.
chiefly new york city. 1 (def 73e).

on the line, informal.

being risked or put in jeopardy; in a vulnerable position:
our prestige and honor are on the line.
immediately; readily:
paid cash on the line.

out of line,

not in a straight line.
in disagreement with what is accepted or practiced.
informal. impertinent; presumptuous:
that last remark was out of line.

read between the lines, to understand the unexpressed but implied meaning of something said or written:
her letter sounded cheerful enough, but i read a certain sadness between the lines.
toe the line / mark,

to conform strictly to a rule, command, etc.
to shoulder responsibilities; do one’s duty:
he tried hard to toe the line on the new job.

noun
a narrow continuous mark, as one made by a pencil, pen, or brush across a surface
such a mark cut into or raised from a surface
a thin indented mark or wrinkle
a straight or curved continuous trace having no breadth that is produced by a moving point
(maths)

any straight one-dimensional geometrical element whose ident-ty is determined by two points. a line segment lies between any two points on a line
a set of points (x, y) that satisfies the equation y = mx + c, where m is the gradient and c is the intercept with the y-axis

a border or boundary: the county line
(sport)

a white or coloured band indicating a boundary or division on a field, track, etc
a mark or imaginary mark at which a race begins or ends

(american football)

see line of scrimmage
the players arranged in a row on either side of the line of scrimmage at the start of each play

a specified point of change or limit: the dividing line between sanity and madness

the edge or contour of a shape, as in sculpture or architecture, or a mark on a painting, drawing, etc, defining or suggesting this
the sum or type of such contours or marks, characteristic of a style or design: the line of a draughtsman, the line of a building

anything long, flexible, and thin, such as a wire or string: a washing line, a fishing line
a telephone connection: a direct line to new york

a conducting wire, cable, or circuit for making connections between pieces of electrical apparatus, such as a cable for electric-power transmission, telecommunications, etc
(as modifier): the line voltage

a system of travel or transportation, esp over agreed routes: a shipping line
a company operating such a system
a route between two points on a railway
(mainly brit)

a railway track, including the roadbed, sleepers, etc
one of the rails of such a track

(nz) a roadway usually in a rural area
a course or direction of movement or advance: the line of flight of a bullet
a course or method of action, behaviour, etc: take a new line with him
a policy or prescribed course of action or way of thinking (often in the phrases bring or come into line)
a field of study, interest, occupation, trade, or profession: this book is in your line
alignment; true (esp in the phrases in line, out of line)
one kind of product or article: a nice line in hats
(nz) a collection of bales of wool all of the one type
a row of persons or things: a line of cakes on the conveyor belt
a chronological or ancestral series, esp of people: a line of prime ministers
a row of words printed or written across a page or column
a unit of verse consisting of the number of feet appropriate to the metre being used and written or printed with the words in a single row
a short letter; note: just a line to say thank you
a piece of useful information or hint about something: give me a line on his work
one of a number of narrow horizontal bands forming a television picture
(physics) a narrow band in an electromagnetic spectrum, resulting from a transition in an atom, ion, or molecule of a gas or plasma
(music)

any of the five horizontal marks that make up the stave compare sp-ce (sense 10)
the musical part or melody notated on one such set
a discernible shape formed by sequences of notes or musical sounds: a meandering melodic line
(in polyphonic music) a set of staves that are held together with a bracket or brace

a unit of magnetic flux equal to 1 maxwell
a defensive or fortified position, esp one that marks the most forward position in war or a national boundary: the front line
line ahead, line abreast, a formation adopted by a naval unit for manoeuvring
a formation adopted by a body or a number of military units when drawn up abreast
the combatant forces of certain armies and navies, excluding supporting arms
(fencing) one of four divisions of the target on a fencer’s body, considered as areas to which specific attacks are made
the scent left by a fox

the equator (esp in the phrase crossing the line)
any circle or arc on the terrestrial or celestial sphere

the amount of insurance written by an underwriter for a particular risk
(us & canadian) a line of people, vehicles, etc, waiting for something also called (in britain and certain other countries) queue
(slang) a portion of a powdered drug for snorting
(slang) something said for effect, esp to solicit for money, s-x, etc: he gave me his usual line
above the line

(accounting) denoting entries above a horizontal line on a profit and loss account, separating those that establish the profit or loss from those that show how the profit is distributed
denoting revenue transactions rather than capital transactions in a nation’s accounts
(marketing) expenditure on media advertising through an agency, rather than internally arranged advertising, such as direct mail, free samples, etc
(bridge) denoting bonus points, marked above the horizontal line on the score card

below the line

(accounting) denoting entries below a horizontal line on a profit and loss account, separating those that establish the profit or loss from those that show how the profit is distributed
denoting capital transactions rather than revenue transactions in a nation’s accounts
(marketing) denoting expenditure on advertising by other means than the traditional media, such as the provision of free gifts, special displays, direct mailshots, etc
(bridge) denoting points scored towards game and rubber, marked below the horizontal line on the score card

all along the line

at every stage in a series
in every detail

(irish & austral, informal) do a line, to -ssociate (with a person of the opposite s-x) regularly; go out (with): he is doing a line with her
draw the line, to reasonably object (to) or set a limit (on): her father draws the line at her coming in after midnight
(informal) get a line on, to obtain information about
hold the line

to keep a telephone line open
(football) to prevent the opponents from taking the ball forward
(of soldiers) to keep formation, as when under fire

in line for, in the running for; a candidate for: he’s in line for a directorship
in line with, conforming to
in the line of duty, as a necessary and usually undesired part of the performance of one’s responsibilities
lay on the line, put on the line

to pay money
to speak frankly and directly
to risk (one’s career, reputation, etc) on something

(informal) shoot a line, to try to create a false image, as by boasting or exaggerating
step out of line, to fail to conform to expected standards, att-tudes, etc
toe the line, to conform to expected standards, att-tudes, etc
verb
(transitive) to mark with a line or lines
(transitive) to draw or represent with a line or lines
(transitive) to be or put as a border to: tulips lined the lawns
to place in or form a row, series, or alignment
verb (transitive)
to attach an inside covering to (a garment, curtain, etc), as for protection, to hide the seaming, or so that it should hang well
to cover or fit the inside of: to line the walls with books
to fill plentifully: a purse lined with money
to reinforce the back of (a book) with fabric, paper, etc
n.

a middle english merger of old english line “cable, rope; series, row, row of letters; rule, direction,” and old french ligne “guideline, cord, string; lineage, descent;” both from latin linea “linen thread, string, line,” from phrase linea restis “linen cord,” from fem. of lineus (adj.) “of linen,” from linum “linen” (see linen).

oldest sense is “rope, cord, string;” extended late 14c. to “a thread-like mark” (from sense “cord used by builders for making things level,” mid-14c.), also “track, course, direction.” sense of “things or people arranged in a straight line” is from 1550s. that of “cord bearing hooks used in fishing” is from c.1300. meaning “one’s occupation, branch of business” is from 1630s, probably from misunderstood kjv translation of 2 cor. x:16, “and not to boast in another mans line of things made ready to our hand,” where line translates greek kanon, literally “measuring rod.” meaning “cl-ss of goods in stock” is from 1834. meaning “telegraph wire” is from 1847 (later “telephone wire”).

meaning “policy or set of policies of a political faction” is 1892, american english, from notion of a procession of followers; this is the sense in party line. in british army, the line (1802) is the regular, numbered troops, as distinguished from guards and auxiliaries. in the navy (1704, e.g. ship of the line) it refers to the battle line. lines “words of an actor’s part” is from 1882. lines of communication were originally transverse trenches in siegeworks.
v.

“to cover the inner side of,” late 14c., from old english lin “linen cloth” (see linen). linen was frequently used in the middle ages as a second layer of material on the inner side of a garment. related: lined; lining.

late 14c., “to tie with a cord,” from line (n.). meaning “to mark or mark off with lines” is from mid-15c. sense of “to arrange in a line” is from 1640s; that of “to join a line” is by 1773. to line up “form a line” is attested by 1889, in u.s. football.

line (līn)
n.

the path traced by a moving point.

a thin continuous mark, as that made by a pen, pencil, or brush applied to a surface.

a crease in the skin, especially on the face; a wrinkle.

in anatomy, a long narrow mark, strip, or streak distinguished from adjacent tissue by color, texture, or elevation.

a real or imaginary mark positioned in relation to fixed points of reference.

a border, boundary, or demarcation.

a contour or an outline.

a mark used to define a shape or represent a contour.

any of the marks that make up the formal design of a picture.

a cable, rope, string, cord or wire.

a general method, manner, or course of procedure.

a manner or course of procedure determined by a specified factor.

an official or prescribed policy.

ancestry or lineage.

a series of persons, especially from one family, who succeed each other.

line
(līn)
a geometric figure formed by a point moving in a fixed direction and in the reverse direction. the intersection of two planes is a line. ◇ the part of a line that lies between two points on the line is called a line segment.

a set of points that have one dimension — length — but no width or height. (see coordinates.)

noun

one’s way of talking, esp when being persuasive or self-aggrandizing; spiel: of what in a later generation would have been termed her ”line”/ you’ve got some line (1903+)
one’s occupation, business, etc; racket: what’s my line? herring in brine (1655+)
a musical solo or figure, esp personal and innovative: coasters talk of ”lines,” not licks, breaks, or riffs (1930s+ jazz musicians)
a bookmaker’s odds on a sports event: baseball, basketball, and hockey lines are available on the day or night of the games (1970s+ gambling)
a dose of cocaine, usually formed into a thin line to be nasally ingested (1980+ narcotics)

verb

to hit the ball in a line drive (1892+ baseball)
take cocaine: they lined twice last night, no wonder they’re tired

related terms

someone’s -ss is on the line, the bottom line, chow line, hard line, hot line, in line, in line for, lay it on the line, main line, on line, on the line, out of line, punch line, put one’s -ss on the line, redline, shoot someone a line, stag line, toe the mark

line of fire, in the
line one’s pockets
line up

also see:

all along (the line)
along the lines of
blow it (one’s lines)
bottom line
chow down (line)
down the line
draw a line
draw the line at
drop a line
end of the line
fall in line
feed someone a line
firing line
get a line on
go on (line)
hard line
hold the line
hook, line, and sinker
hot line
in line
lay on the line
least resistance, line of
on line
out of line
party line
read between the lines
sign on the dotted line
somewhere along the line
step out of line
toe the line