LINE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does line mean? 

• LINE (noun)
  The noun LINE has 30 senses:

1. a formation of people or things one beside another

2. a mark that is long relative to its width

3. a formation of people or things one behind another

4. a length (straight or curved) without breadth or thickness; the trace of a moving point

5. text consisting of a row of words written across a page or computer screen

6. a single frequency (or very narrow band) of radiation in a spectrum

7. a fortified position (especially one marking the most forward position of troops)

8. a course of reasoning aimed at demonstrating a truth or falsehood; the methodical process of logical reasoning

9. a conductor for transmitting electrical or optical signals or electric power

10. a connected series of events or actions or developments

11. a spatial location defined by a real or imaginary unidimensional extent

12. a slight depression or fold in the smoothness of a surface

13. a pipe used to transport liquids or gases

14. the road consisting of railroad track and roadbed

15. a telephone connection

16. acting in conformity

17. the descendants of one individual

18. something (as a cord or rope) that is long and thin and flexible

19. the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money

20. in games or sports; a mark indicating positions or bounds of the playing area

21. (often plural) a means of communication or access

22. a particular kind of product or merchandise

23. a commercial organization serving as a common carrier

24. space for one line of print (one column wide and 1/14 inch deep) used to measure advertising

25. the maximum credit that a customer is allowed

26. a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence

27. persuasive but insincere talk that is usually intended to deceive or impress

28. a short personal letter

29. a conceptual separation or distinction

30. mechanical system in a factory whereby an article is conveyed through sites at which successive operations are performed on it

  Familiarity information: LINE used as a noun is very familiar.

• LINE (verb)
  The verb LINE has 6 senses:

1. be in line with; form a line along

2. cover the interior of

3. make a mark or lines on a surface

4. mark with lines

5. fill plentifully

6. reinforce with fabric

  Familiarity information: LINE used as a verb is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• LINE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A formation of people or things one beside another

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Context example:

the cast stood in line for the curtain call

Hypernyms ("line" is a kind of...):

formation (an arrangement of people or things acting as a unit)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "line"):

rivet line (a line of rivets at a seam)

chorus; chorus line (a body of dancers or singers who perform together)

diagonal (an oblique line of squares of the same color on a checkerboard)

linemen (the football players who line up on the line of scrimmage)

identity parade; lineup; police lineup (a line of persons arranged by police for inspection or identification)

row (an arrangement of objects or people side by side in a line)

rank (a row or line of people (especially soldiers or police) standing abreast of one another)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A mark that is long relative to its width

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Context example:

He drew a line on the chart

Hypernyms ("line" is a kind of...):

mark; print (a visible indication made on a surface)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "line"):

cross hair; cross wire (either of two fine mutually perpendicular lines that cross in the focus plane of an optical instrument and are use for sighting or calibration)

dotted line (a line made up of dots or dashes; often used to indicate where you are supposed to sign a contract)

ascender ((printing) the part of tall lowercase letters that extends above the other lowercase letters)

bar line (a vertical line before the accented beat marking the boundary between musical bars)

descender ((printing) the part of lowercase letters that extends below the other lowercase letters)

curlicue; squiggle (a short twisting line)

spectrum line (an isolated component of a spectrum formed by radiation at a uniform frequency)

trend line (a line on a graph indicating a statistical trend)

isometric; isometric line (a line connecting isometric points)

graduation (a line (as on a vessel or ruler) that marks a measurement)

guideline (a light line that is used in lettering to help align the letters)

hairline (a very thin line)

shaft (a line that forms the length of an arrow pointer)

serif; seriph (a short line at the end of the main strokes of a character)

staff line (any of the 5 horizontal marks comprising a staff)

ledger line; leger line (a short line; a notation for extending the range above or below the staff)

Derivation:

line (make a mark or lines on a surface)

line (mark with lines)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A formation of people or things one behind another

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Context example:

you must wait in a long line at the checkout counter

Hypernyms ("line" is a kind of...):

formation (an arrangement of people or things acting as a unit)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "line"):

diagonal (an oblique line of squares of the same color on a checkerboard)

file; Indian file; single file (a line of persons or things ranged one behind the other)

line of march (the arrangement of people in a line for marching)

line of succession (the order in which individuals are expected to succeed one another in some official position)

picket line (a line of people acting as pickets)

conga line (a line of people in single file performing the conga dance)

trap line (a line or series of traps)

queue; waiting line (a line of people or vehicles waiting for something)

Derivation:

line (be in line with; form a line along)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A length (straight or curved) without breadth or thickness; the trace of a moving point

Classified under:

Nouns denoting two and three dimensional shapes

Hypernyms ("line" is a kind of...):

form; shape (the spatial arrangement of something as distinct from its substance)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "line"):

curve (a line on a graph representing data)

curve; curved shape (the trace of a point whose direction of motion changes)

straight line (a line traced by a point traveling in a constant direction; a line of zero curvature)

geodesic; geodesic line ((mathematics) the shortest line between two points on a mathematically defined surface (as a straight line on a plane or an arc of a great circle on a sphere))

perimeter (a line enclosing a plane areas)

center line; centerline (a line that bisects a plane figure)

bound; boundary; edge (a line determining the limits of an area)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Text consisting of a row of words written across a page or computer screen

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Context example:

there are six lines in every stanza

Hypernyms ("line" is a kind of...):

text; textual matter (the words of something written)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "line"):

opening line (the first line of a piece of writing (as a newspaper story))

head; header; heading (a line of text serving to indicate what the passage below it is about)

line of poetry; line of verse (a single line of words in a poem)

by-line; credit line (a line giving the name of the writer of a story or article)

dateline (a line at the beginning of a news article giving the date and place of origin of the news dispatch)

verse; verse line (a line of metrical text)

gag line; laugh line; punch line; tag line (the point of a joke or humorous story)

actor's line; speech; words (words making up the dialogue of a play)

orphan (the first line of a paragraph that is set as the last line of a page or column)

sound bite (a very short speech; usually on radio or television)

bottom line (the last line in an audit; the line that shows profit or loss)

Holonyms ("line" is a part of...):

letter; missive (a written message addressed to a person or organization)

stanza (a fixed number of lines of verse forming a unit of a poem)

Sense 6

Meaning:

A single frequency (or very narrow band) of radiation in a spectrum

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural phenomena

Hypernyms ("line" is a kind of...):

electromagnetic radiation; electromagnetic wave; nonparticulate radiation (radiation consisting of waves of energy associated with electric and magnetic fields resulting from the acceleration of an electric charge)

Holonyms ("line" is a part of...):

electromagnetic spectrum (the entire frequency range of electromagnetic waves)

Sense 7

Meaning:

A fortified position (especially one marking the most forward position of troops)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Context example:

they attacked the enemy's line

Hypernyms ("line" is a kind of...):

military position; position (a point occupied by troops for tactical reasons)

Domain category:

armed forces; armed services; military; military machine; war machine (the military forces of a nation)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "line"):

firing line (the line from which soldiers deliver fire)

battlefront; front; front line (the line along which opposing armies face each other)

line of battle (a line formed by troops or ships prepared to deliver or receive an attack)

battle line (the line along which warring troops meet)

Sense 8

Meaning:

A course of reasoning aimed at demonstrating a truth or falsehood; the methodical process of logical reasoning

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

argument; argumentation; line; line of reasoning; logical argument

Context example:

I can't follow your line of reasoning

Hypernyms ("line" is a kind of...):

abstract thought; logical thinking; reasoning (thinking that is coherent and logical)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "line"):

line of inquiry; line of questioning (an ordering of questions so as to develop a particular argument)

casuistry (argumentation that is specious or excessively subtle and intended to be misleading)

policy (a line of argument rationalizing the course of action of a government)

Sense 9

Meaning:

A conductor for transmitting electrical or optical signals or electric power

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

cable; line; transmission line

Hypernyms ("line" is a kind of...):

conductor (a device designed to transmit electricity, heat, etc.)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "line"):

coax; coax cable; coaxial cable (a transmission line for high-frequency signals)

electrical cable (a cable that provides an electrical connection for telephone or television or power stations)

fiber optic cable; fibre optic cable (a cable made of optical fibers that can transmit large amounts of information at the speed of light)

power cable; power line (cable used to distribute electricity)

printer cable (a cable between a computer and a printer)

Holonyms ("line" is a part of...):

cable; cable system; cable television; cable television service (a television system that transmits over cables)

phone system; telephone system (a communication system that transmits sound between distant points)

Sense 10

Meaning:

A connected series of events or actions or developments

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Synonyms:

course; line

Context example:

historians can only point out those lines for which evidence is available

Hypernyms ("line" is a kind of...):

series (similar things placed in order or happening one after another)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "line"):

current; flow; stream (dominant course (suggestive of running water) of successive events or ideas)

Sense 11

Meaning:

A spatial location defined by a real or imaginary unidimensional extent

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Hypernyms ("line" is a kind of...):

location (a point or extent in space)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "line"):

part; parting (a line of scalp that can be seen when sections of hair are combed in opposite directions)

axis (a straight line through a body or figure that satisfies certain conditions)

aclinic line; magnetic equator (an imaginary line paralleling the equator where a magnetic needle has no dip)

agonic line (an imaginary line connecting points on the Earth's surface where the magnetic declination is zero)

isogonal line; isogone; isogonic line (an imaginary line connecting points on the Earth's surface where the magnetic declination is the same)

crest (the top line of a hill, mountain, or wave)

timber line; timberline; tree line (line marking the upper limit of tree growth in mountains or northern latitudes)

snow line (the line on a mountain above which there is perpetual snow and ice)

fault line ((geology) line determined by the intersection of a geological fault and the earth's surface)

great circle (a circular line on the surface of a sphere formed by intersecting it with a plane passing through the center)

hemline (the line formed by the lower edge of a skirt or coat)

hipline (the line formed by the lower edge of hip-length garment)

hipline (the line formed by measuring the hip at its greatest part)

apparent horizon; horizon; sensible horizon; skyline; visible horizon (the line at which the sky and Earth appear to meet)

isarithm; isogram; isopleth (a line drawn on a map connecting points having the same numerical value of some variable)

flight line (place where airplanes are parked and the maintenance hangars (but not the runways or taxiways))

line of sight; line of vision (an imaginary straight line along which an observer looks)

latitude; line of latitude; parallel; parallel of latitude (an imaginary line around the Earth parallel to the equator)

lunar latitude (an imaginary line around the moon parallel to its equator)

itinerary; path; route (an established line of travel or access)

quadrant; quarter-circle (a quarter of the circumference of a circle)

loxodrome; rhumb; rhumb line (a line on a sphere that cuts all meridians at the same angle; the path taken by a ship or plane that maintains a constant compass direction)

danger line (a line beyond which it is dangerous to go)

side (a line segment forming part of the perimeter of a plane figure)

water level; water line; waterline (a line corresponding to the surface of the water when the vessel is afloat on an even keel; often painted on the hull of a ship)

water line; watermark (a line marking the level reached by a body of water)

divide; water parting; watershed (a ridge of land that separates two adjacent river systems)

course; path; track (a line or route along which something travels or moves)

field line; line of force (an imaginary line in a field of force; direction of the line at any point is the direction of the force at that point)

Derivation:

lineal (arranged in a line)

Sense 12

Meaning:

A slight depression or fold in the smoothness of a surface

Classified under:

Nouns denoting two and three dimensional shapes

Synonyms:

crease; crinkle; furrow; line; seam; wrinkle

Context example:

ironing gets rid of most wrinkles

Hypernyms ("line" is a kind of...):

depression; impression; imprint (a concavity in a surface produced by pressing)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "line"):

crow's feet; crow's foot; laugh line (a wrinkle in the skin at the outer corner of your eyes)

dermatoglyphic (the lines that form patterns on the skin (especially on the fingertips and the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet))

frown line (a facial wrinkle associated with frowning)

life line; lifeline; line of life (a crease on the palm; its length is said by palmists to indicate how long you will live)

heart line; line of heart; love line; mensal line (a crease on the palm; palmists say it indicates your emotional nature)

line of destiny; line of fate; line of Saturn (a crease on the palm; palmists say it indicates how successful you will be)

Holonyms ("line" is a part of...):

cutis; skin; tegument (a natural protective body covering and site of the sense of touch)

Derivation:

line (mark with lines)

Sense 13

Meaning:

A pipe used to transport liquids or gases

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

line; pipeline

Context example:

a pipeline runs from the wells to the seaport

Hypernyms ("line" is a kind of...):

pipage; pipe; piping (a long tube made of metal or plastic that is used to carry water or oil or gas etc.)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "line"):

gas line (a pipeline used to transport natural gas)

oil pipeline (a pipeline used to transport oil)

Instance hyponyms:

Alaskan pipeline; trans-Alaska pipeline (an oil pipeline that runs 800 miles from wells at Prudhoe Bay to the port of Valdez)

Sense 14

Meaning:

The road consisting of railroad track and roadbed

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

line; rail line; railway line

Hypernyms ("line" is a kind of...):

road; route (an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation)

Meronyms (parts of "line"):

railroad bed (a bed on which railroad track is laid)

railroad; railroad track; railway (a line of track providing a runway for wheels)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "line"):

branch line; spur; spur track (a railway line connected to a trunk line)

trunk line; trunk route (line that is the main route on a railway)

Sense 15

Meaning:

A telephone connection

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

line; phone line; subscriber line; telephone circuit; telephone line

Hypernyms ("line" is a kind of...):

connecter; connection; connective; connector; connexion (an instrumentality that connects)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "line"):

digital subscriber line; DSL (a generic name for digital lines that are provided by telephone companies to their local subscribers and that carry data at high speeds)

hot line (a direct telephone line between two officials)

land line; landline (a telephone line that travels over terrestrial circuits)

party line (a telephone line serving two or more subscribers)

private line (a telephone line serving a single subscriber)

toll line (a telephone line for long-distance calls)

trunk line (a telephone line connecting two exchanges directly)

WATS; WATS line (a telephone line;long distance service at fixed rates for fixed zones; an acronym for wide area telephone service)

Sense 16

Meaning:

Acting in conformity

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Context example:

toe the line

Hypernyms ("line" is a kind of...):

abidance; compliance; conformation; conformity (acting according to certain accepted standards)

Sense 17

Meaning:

The descendants of one individual

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Synonyms:

ancestry; blood; blood line; bloodline; descent; line; line of descent; lineage; origin; parentage; pedigree; stemma; stock

Context example:

his entire lineage has been warriors

Hypernyms ("line" is a kind of...):

family tree; genealogy (successive generations of kin)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "line"):

family; family line; folk; kinfolk; kinsfolk; phratry; sept (people descended from a common ancestor)

side (a family line of descent)

Derivation:

lineal (in a straight unbroken line of descent from parent to child)

Sense 18

Meaning:

Something (as a cord or rope) that is long and thin and flexible

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Context example:

a washing line

Hypernyms ("line" is a kind of...):

artefact; artifact (a man-made object taken as a whole)

Meronyms (parts of "line"):

bitter end ((nautical) the inboard end of a line or cable especially the end that is wound around a bitt)

drip loop (a downward hanging loop in a line that runs to a building)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "line"):

becket ((nautical) a short line with an eye at one end and a knot at the other; used to secure loose items on a ship)

cord (a line made of twisted fibers or threads)

laniard; lanyard ((nautical) a line used for extending or fastening rigging on ships)

lifeline (line thrown from a vessel that people can cling to in order to save themselves from drowning)

lifeline (line that raises or lowers a deep-sea diver)

mooring; mooring line ((nautical) a line that holds an object (especially a boat) in place)

painter (a line that is attached to the bow of a boat and used for tying up (as when docking or towing))

ratlin; ratline ((nautical) a small horizontal rope between the shrouds of a sailing ship; they form a ladder for climbing aloft)

rope (a strong line)

mainsheet; sheet; shroud; tack; weather sheet ((nautical) a line (rope or chain) that regulates the angle at which a sail is set in relation to the wind)

shroud (a line that suspends the harness from the canopy of a parachute)

strand (line consisting of a complex of fibers or filaments that are twisted together to form a thread or a rope or a cable)

towing line; towing rope; towline; towrope ((nautical) a rope used in towing)

trace (either of two lines that connect a horse's harness to a wagon or other vehicle or to a whiffletree)

Sense 19

Meaning:

The principal activity in your life that you do to earn money

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

business; job; line; line of work; occupation

Context example:

he's not in my line of business

Hypernyms ("line" is a kind of...):

activity (any specific behavior)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "line"):

confectionery (the occupation and skills of a confectioner)

sport (the occupation of athletes who compete for pay)

farming; land (agriculture considered as an occupation or way of life)

biz; game (your occupation or line of work)

calling; career; vocation (the particular occupation for which you are trained)

employment; work (the occupation for which you are paid)

appointment (the job to which you are (or hope to be) appointed)

berth; billet; office; place; position; post; situation; spot (a job in an organization)

salt mine; treadmill (a job involving drudgery and confinement)

craft; trade (the skilled practice of a practical occupation)

profession (an occupation requiring special education (especially in the liberal arts or sciences))

medium; metier (an occupation for which you are especially well suited)

accountancy; accounting (the occupation of maintaining and auditing records and preparing financial reports for a business)

photography (the occupation of taking and printing photographs or making movies)

catering (providing food and services)

Sense 20

Meaning:

In games or sports; a mark indicating positions or bounds of the playing area

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Hypernyms ("line" is a kind of...):

mark; print (a visible indication made on a surface)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "line"):

balkline; baulk-line; string line (line across a billiard table behind which the cue balls are placed at the start of a game)

finish line; finishing line (a line indicating the location of the finish of a race)

foul line (lines through 1st and 3rd base indicating the boundaries of a baseball field)

foul line (a line across a bowling alley that a bowler must not cross)

foul line (a line from which basketball players take penalty shots)

baseline (the lines a baseball player must follow while running the bases)

goal line (a line marking each end of the playing field or pitch; where the goals stand)

red line (a line that is colored red and that bisects an ice hockey rink)

line of scrimmage; scrimmage line (line parallel to the goal lines where football linesmen line up at the start of each play in American football)

baseline; service line (the back line bounding each end of a tennis or handball court; when serving the server must not step over this line)

out of bounds; sideline (a line that marks the side boundary of a playing field)

scratch; scratch line; start; starting line (a line indicating the location of the start of a race or a game)

yard line (in football; line parallel to the goal lines indicating position on the field)

Sense 21

Meaning:

(often plural) a means of communication or access

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

channel; communication channel; line

Context example:

lines of communication were set up between the two firms

Hypernyms ("line" is a kind of...):

communicating; communication (the activity of communicating; the activity of conveying information)

Domain usage:

plural; plural form (the form of a word that is used to denote more than one)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "line"):

back channel (an alternative to the regular channels of communication that is used when agreements must be made secretly (especially in diplomacy or government))

lens ((metaphor) a channel through which something can be seen or understood)

contact; inter-group communication; liaison; link (a channel for communication between groups)

line of gab; patter; spiel (plausible glib talk (especially useful to a salesperson))

Sense 22

Meaning:

A particular kind of product or merchandise

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

business line; line; line of business; line of merchandise; line of products; product line

Context example:

a nice line of shoes

Hypernyms ("line" is a kind of...):

merchandise; product; ware (commodities offered for sale)

Meronyms (parts of "line"):

top of the line (the best (most expensive) in a given line of merchandise)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "line"):

sideline (an auxiliary line of merchandise)

Sense 23

Meaning:

A commercial organization serving as a common carrier

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("line" is a kind of...):

carrier; common carrier (a person or firm in the business of transporting people or goods or messages)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "line"):

airline; airline business; airway (a commercial enterprise that provides scheduled flights for passengers)

railroad; railroad line; railway; railway line; railway system (line that is the commercial organization responsible for operating a system of transportation for trains that pull passengers or freight)

steamship company; steamship line (a line responsible for the operation of a fleet of steamships)

transit line (a line providing public transit)

Holonyms ("line" is a part of...):

transit; transportation; transportation system (a facility consisting of the means and equipment necessary for the movement of passengers or goods)

Sense 24

Meaning:

Space for one line of print (one column wide and 1/14 inch deep) used to measure advertising

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Synonyms:

agate line; line

Hypernyms ("line" is a kind of...):

area unit; square measure (a system of units used to measure areas)

Sense 25

Meaning:

The maximum credit that a customer is allowed

Classified under:

Nouns denoting possession and transfer of possession

Synonyms:

bank line; credit line; line; line of credit; personal credit line; personal line of credit

Hypernyms ("line" is a kind of...):

credit (money available for a client to borrow)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "line"):

consumer credit (a line of credit extended for personal or household use)

Sense 26

Meaning:

A succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

air; line; melodic line; melodic phrase; melody; strain; tune

Context example:

she was humming an air from Beethoven

Hypernyms ("line" is a kind of...):

music (an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner)

Meronyms (parts of "line"):

musical phrase; phrase (a short musical passage)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "line"):

fanfare; flourish; tucket ((music) a short lively tune played on brass instruments)

glissando (a rapid series of ascending or descending notes on the musical scale)

roulade ((music) an elaborate run of several notes sung to one syllable)

leitmotif; leitmotiv (a melodic phrase that accompanies the reappearance of a person or situation (as in Wagner's operas))

theme song (a melody that recurs and comes to represent a musical play or movie)

signature; signature tune; theme song (a melody used to identify a performer or a dance band or radio/tv program)

idea; melodic theme; musical theme; theme ((music) melodic subject of a musical composition)

part; voice (the melody carried by a particular voice or instrument in polyphonic music)

Sense 27

Meaning:

Persuasive but insincere talk that is usually intended to deceive or impress

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Context example:

that salesman must have practiced his fast line of talk

Hypernyms ("line" is a kind of...):

persuasion; suasion (the act of persuading (or attempting to persuade); communication intended to induce belief or action)

Sense 28

Meaning:

A short personal letter

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

billet; line; note; short letter

Context example:

drop me a line when you get there

Hypernyms ("line" is a kind of...):

personal letter (a letter dealing with personal affairs)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "line"):

excuse (a note explaining an absence)

Sense 29

Meaning:

A conceptual separation or distinction

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

contrast; demarcation; dividing line; line

Context example:

there is a narrow line between sanity and insanity

Hypernyms ("line" is a kind of...):

differentiation; distinction (a discrimination between things as different and distinct on the basis of their characteristics or attributes)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "line"):

point of no return; Rubicon (a line that when crossed permits of no return and typically results in irrevocable commitment)

Sense 30

Meaning:

Mechanical system in a factory whereby an article is conveyed through sites at which successive operations are performed on it

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

assembly line; line; production line

Hypernyms ("line" is a kind of...):

mechanical system (a system of elements that interact on mechanical principles)

Meronyms (parts of "line"):

conveyer; conveyer belt; conveyor; conveyor belt; transporter (a moving belt that transports objects (as in a factory))

Holonyms ("line" is a part of...):

factory; manufactory; manufacturing plant; mill (a plant consisting of one or more buildings with facilities for manufacturing)

• LINE (verb)

Conjugation:

Sense 1

Meaning:

Be in line with; form a line along

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Synonyms:

line; run along

Context example:

trees line the riverbank

Hypernyms (to "line" is one way to...):

lie (be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "line"):

rim (run around the rim of)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s something

Derivation:

line (a formation of people or things one behind another)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Cover the interior of

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Context example:

line a chimney

Hypernyms (to "line" is one way to...):

cover (provide with a covering or cause to be covered)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "line"):

reline (provide with a new lining)

face (line the edge (of a garment) with a different material)

crib (line with beams or planks)

babbitt (line with a Babbitt metal)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP

Derivation:

lining (a protective covering that protects an inside surface)

lining (a piece of cloth that is used as the inside surface of a garment)

lining (the act of attaching an inside lining (to a garment or curtain etc.))

liner (a piece of cloth that is used as the inside surface of a garment)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Make a mark or lines on a surface

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

delineate; describe; draw; line; trace

Context example:

trace the outline of a figure in the sand

Hypernyms (to "line" is one way to...):

mark (make or leave a mark on)

Verb group:

draw (engage in drawing)

draw (represent by making a drawing of, as with a pencil, chalk, etc. on a surface)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "line"):

construct (draw with suitable instruments and under specified conditions)

inscribe (draw within a figure so as to touch in as many places as possible)

circumscribe (draw a line around)

circumscribe (to draw a geometric figure around another figure so that the two are in contact but do not intersect)

write (mark or trace on a surface)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP

Derivation:

line (a mark that is long relative to its width)

lineation (the act of marking or outlining with lines)

lineation (the line that appears to bound an object)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Mark with lines

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Context example:

sorrow had lined his face

Hypernyms (to "line" is one way to...):

mark; nock; score (make small marks into the surface of)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "line"):

reline (put new lines on)

hatch (draw, cut, or engrave lines, usually parallel, on metal, wood, or paper)

crisscross (mark with or consist of a pattern of crossed lines)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s something

Derivation:

line (a mark that is long relative to its width)

line (a slight depression or fold in the smoothness of a surface)

lineation (the act of marking or outlining with lines)

lineation (the line that appears to bound an object)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Fill plentifully

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

line one's pockets

Hypernyms (to "line" is one way to...):

fill; fill up; make full (make full, also in a metaphorical sense)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP

Sense 6

Meaning:

Reinforce with fabric

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

lined books are more enduring

Hypernyms (to "line" is one way to...):

reenforce; reinforce (make stronger)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

 Context examples 

If he had received one line, one personal line, along with one rejection of all his rejections, he would have been cheered.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

Summerlee and I got some rough handlin' on the way—there's my skin and my clothes to prove it—for they took us a bee-line through the brambles, and their own hides are like leather.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

There are three 'tall trees' said he, about in the right line from Skeleton Island.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

Holmes and the Inspector led us round it until we came to the side gate, which is separated by a stretch of garden from the hedge which lines the road.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The different lines were rapidly approaching a point.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

We agreed to work on our own lines, Mr. Holmes.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Speaking of books reminds me that I'm getting rich in that line, for on New Year's Day Mr. Bhaer gave me a fine Shakespeare.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

When the position of the stone is oblique, the motion of the island is so too: for in this magnet, the forces always act in lines parallel to its direction.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

It was Tom who paid a poet from Brighton to write the lines for the tombstone, which we all thought were very true and good, beginning—

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

That of saying of any strange, unsanctioned line of action,—'Let it be right.'

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)