noun, verb, lined, lin⋅ing.| 1. | 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. |
| 2. | Mathematics. a continuous extent of length, straight or curved, without breadth or thickness; the trace of a moving point. |
| 3. | something arranged along a line, esp. a straight line; a row or series: a line of trees. |
| 4. | a number of persons standing one behind the other and waiting their turns at or for something; queue. |
| 5. | something resembling a traced line, as a band of color, a seam, or a furrow: lines of stratification in rock. |
| 6. | a furrow or wrinkle on the face, neck, etc.: lines around the eyes. |
| 7. | an indication of demarcation; boundary; limit: the county line; a fine line between right and wrong. |
| 8. | a row of written or printed letters, words, etc.: a page of 30 lines. |
| 9. | a verse of poetry: A line in iambic pentameter contains five feet. |
| 10. | Usually, lines. the words of an actor's part in a drama, musical comedy, etc.: to rehearse one's lines. |
| 11. | a short written message: Drop me a line when you're on vacation. |
| 12. | a system of public conveyances, as buses or trains, plying regularly over a fixed route: the northbound line at State Street. |
| 13. | a transportation or conveyance company: a steamship line. |
| 14. | a course of direction; route: the line of march down Main Street. |
| 15. | a course of action, procedure, thought, policy, etc.: That newspaper follows the communist line. |
| 16. | a piece of pertinent or useful information (usually fol. by on): I've got a line on a good used car. |
| 17. | a series of generations of persons, animals, or plants descended from a common ancestor: a line of kings. |
| 18. | a department of activity; occupation or business: What line are you in? |
| 19. | Informal. a mode of conversation, esp. one that is glib or exaggerated in order to impress or influence another person: He really handed her a line about his rich relatives. |
| 20. | a straight line drawn from an observed object to the fovea of the eye. |
| 21. | lines,
|
| 22. | a circle of the terrestrial or celestial sphere: the equinoctial line. |
| 23. | banner (def. 7). |
| 24. | Fine Arts.
|
| 25. | Television. one scanning line. |
| 26. | Telecommunications.
|
| 27. | the line, Geography. the equator. |
| 28. | a stock of commercial goods of the same general class but having a range of styles, sizes, prices, or quality: the company's line of shoes. |
| 29. | an assembly line. |
| 30. | Law. a limit defining one estate from another; the outline or boundary of a piece of real estate. |
| 31. | 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). |
| 32. | Music. any of the straight, horizontal, parallel strokes of the staff, or one placed above or below the staff. |
| 33. | Military.
|
| 34. | an arrangement of troops of an army or of ships of a fleet as drawn up for battle: line of battle. |
| 35. | a body or formation of troops or ships drawn up abreast (distinguished from column ). |
| 36. | the class of officers serving with combatant units or warships. |
| 37. | the regular forces of an army or navy. |
| 38. | that part of an administrative organization consisting of persons actively engaged on a given project. Compare staff 1 (def. 4). |
| 39. | a thread, string, cord, rope, or the like. |
| 40. | a clothesline: the wash hanging on the line. |
| 41. | a cord, wire, or the like, used for measuring or as a guide. |
| 42. | Nautical.
|
| 43. | Slang. a small quantity of cocaine arranged in the form of a slender thread or line, as for sniffing. |
| 44. | Also, ligne. a unit, 1/40 inch (0.635 millimeter), for measuring the diameter of buttons. |
| 45. | Angling. a length of nylon, silk, linen, cord, or the like, to which are attached the leader, hook, sinker, float, etc. |
| 46. | Football.
|
| 47. | the betting odds established by bookmakers for events not covered by pari-mutuel betting, esp. sporting events, as football or basketball. |
| 48. | Ice Hockey. the two wings and center who make up a team's offensive unit. |
| 49. | 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. |
| 50. | Textiles. the longer and preferred flax or hemp fibers. Compare tow 2 (def. 2). |
| 51. | Fox Hunting. the trail of scent left by a fox. |
| 52. | a unit of length equivalent to 1/12 inch (2.12 millimeters). |
| 53. | Insurance.
|
| 54. | Australian Slang. a girl or woman. |
| 55. | to take a position in a line; range (often fol. by up): to line up before the start of a parade. |
| 56. | Baseball.
|
| 57. | to bring into a line, or into line with others (often fol. by up): to line up troops. |
| 58. | to mark with a line or lines: to line paper for writing. |
| 59. | to sketch verbally or in writing; outline (often fol. by out): We followed the plan he had lined out. |
| 60. | to arrange a line along: to line a coast with colonies. |
| 61. | to form a line along: Rocks lined the drive. |
| 62. | to apply liner to (the eyes). |
| 63. | to delineate with or as if with lines; draw: to line the silhouette of a person's head. |
| 64. | Archaic. to measure or test with a line. |
| 65. | line out,
|
| 66. | line up, to secure; make available: to line up support; to line up a speaker for the banquet. |
| 67. | bring, come, or get into line,
|
| 68. | down the line,
|
| 69. | draw the line, to impose a restriction; limit: They might exaggerate but would draw the line at outright lying. |
| 70. | go up in one's lines, Theater. to forget one's part during a performance. Also, British, go up on one's lines. |
| 71. | hold the line, to maintain the status quo, esp. in order to forestall unfavorable developments: We're trying to hold the line on prices. |
| 72. | in line,
|
| 73. | in line with, in agreement or conformity with: The action taken was in line with her decision. |
| 74. | in the line of duty, in the execution of the duties belonging to some occupation, esp. with regard to the responsibility for life and death: a policeman wounded in the line of duty. Also, in line of duty. |
| 75. | lay it on the line, Informal.
|
| 76. | off line,
|
| 77. | 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. |
| 78. | on line,
|
| 79. | on the line, Informal.
|
| 80. | out of line,
|
| 81. | 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. |
| 82. | toe the line or mark,
|

A set of points that have one dimension — length — but no width or height. (See coordinates.)
line
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line
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.
in line
Also, in line with. In conformity or agreement; within ordinary or proper limits. For example, The new policy was intended to keep prices in line with their competitors, or It's up to the supervisor to keep the nurses in line. Also see fall in line.
Also, on line. Waiting behind others in a row or queue. For example, The children stood in line for their lunches, or There were at least 50 persons on line for opera tickets.
in line for. Next in order for, as in He is next in line for the presidency. All of these terms employ line in the sense of "an orderly row or series of persons or objects," a usage dating from the 1500s.