line
♦♦♦ line /l'aɪn/ (lines lining lined)
1 [N-COUNT]
A line is a long thin mark which is drawn or painted on a surface.
Draw a line down that page's center.
...a dotted line...
The ball had clearly crossed the line.
2 [N-COUNT] usu pl
The lines on someone's skin, especially on their face, are long thin marks that appear there as they grow older.
He has a large, generous face with deep lines.
= wrinkle
3 [N-COUNT] oft N of n
A line of people or things is a number of them arranged one behind the other or side by side.
The sparse line of spectators noticed nothing unusual.
= row
4 [N-COUNT]
A line of people or vehicles is a number of them that are waiting one behind another, for example in order to buy something or to go in a particular direction.
Children clutching empty bowls form a line...
= queue
5 [N-COUNT]
A line of a piece of writing is one of the rows of words, numbers, or other symbols in it.
The next line should read: Five days, 23.5 hours...
Tina wouldn't have read more than three lines.
6 [N-COUNT]
A line of a poem, song, or play is a group of words that are spoken or sung together. If an actor learns his or her lines for a play or film, they learn what they have to say.
...a line from Shakespeare's Othello: `one that loved not wisely but too well'...
Learning lines is very easy. Acting is very difficult.
7 [N-VAR] usu with supp
You can refer to a long piece of wire, string, or cable as a line when it is used for a particular purpose.
She put her washing on the line.
...a piece of fishing-line...
The winds downed power lines.
8 [N-COUNT] oft on the N
A line is a connection which makes it possible for two people to speak to each other on the telephone.
The telephone lines went dead...
It's not a very good line. Shall we call you back Susan?...
She's on the line from her home in Boston.
9 [N-COUNT] oft in names after n
You can use line to refer to a telephone number which you can ring in order to get information or advice.
...the 24-hours information line.
10 [N-COUNT] usu pl, usu with supp
A line is a route, especially a dangerous or secret one, along which people move or send messages or supplies.
Negotiators say they're keeping communication lines open.
...the guerrillas' main supply lines.
11 [N-COUNT]
The line in which something or someone moves is the particular route that they take, especially when they keep moving straight ahead.
Walk in a straight line...
The wings were at right angles to the line of flight.
12 [N-COUNT] usu with supp, oft in names after n
A line is a particular route, involving the same stations, roads, or stops along which a train or bus service regularly operates.
They've got to ride all the way to the end of the line...
I would be able to stay on the Piccadilly Line and get off the tube at South Kensington.
13 [N-COUNT]
A railway line consists of the pieces of metal and wood which form the track that the trains travel along.
= track
14 [N-COUNT] usu supp N
A shipping, air, or bus line is a company which provides services for transporting people or goods by sea, air, or bus. (BUSINESS)
The Foreign Office offered to pay the shipping line all the costs of diverting the ship to Bermuda.
= company
15 [N-COUNT] usu sing, with supp
A state or county line is a boundary between two states or counties. (AM)
...the California state line.
= border
16 [N-COUNT]
You can use lines to refer to the set of physical defences or the soldiers that have been established along the boundary of an area occupied by an army.
Their unit was shelling the German lines only seven miles away.
17 [N-COUNT] usu sing, with supp
The particular line that a person has towards a problem is the attitude that they have towards it. For example, if someone takes a hard line on something, they have a firm strict policy which they refuse to change.
Forty members of the governing Conservative party rebelled, voting against the government line...
18 [N-COUNT] usu N of n/-ing
You can use line to refer to the way in which someone's thoughts or activities develop, particularly if it is logical.
What are some of the practical benefits likely to be of this line of research?
19 [N-PLURAL] usu along/on N with supp
If you say that something happens along particular lines, or on particular lines, you are giving a general summary or approximate account of what happens, which may not be correct in every detail.
He'd said something along those lines already...
Our forecast for 1990 was on the right lines...
20 [N-PLURAL] on/along N with supp
If something is organized on particular lines, or along particular lines, it is organized according to that method or principle.
...so-called autonomous republics based on ethnic lines.
...reorganising old factories to work along Japanese lines.
21 [N-COUNT] usu N of n
Your line of business or work is the kind of work that you do. (BUSINESS)
So what was your father's line of business?...
In my line of work I often get home too late for dinner.
22 [N-COUNT]
A line is a particular type of product that a company makes or sells.
His best selling line is the cheapest lager at £1.99.
23 [N-COUNT]
In a factory, a line is an arrangement of workers or machines where a product passes from one worker to another until it is finished.
...a production line capable of producing three different products.
24 [N-COUNT] usu sing, oft N of n, ord in N
You can use line when you are referring to a number of people who are ranked according to status.
Nicholas Paul Patrick was seventh in the line of succession to the throne...
...the man who stands next in line for the presidency.
25 [N-COUNT] usu sing, usu N of n
A particular line of people or things is a series of them that has existed over a period of time, when they have all been similar in some way, or done similar things.
We were part of a long line of artists...
It's the latest in a long line of tragedies.
26 [VERB] V n, V-ed
If people or things line a road, room, or other place, they are present in large numbers along its edges or sides.
Thousands of local people lined the streets and clapped as the procession went by.
...a square lined with pubs and clubs.
● -lined [COMB in ADJ]
...a long tree-lined drive.
27 [VERB] V n, V n with n
If you line a wall, container, or other object, you put a layer of something such as leaves or paper on the inside surface of it in order to make it stronger, warmer, or cleaner.
Scoop the blanket weed out and use it to line hanging baskets...
Female bears tend to line their dens with leaves or grass.
● -lined [COMB in ADJ]
...a dark, suede-lined case.
28 [VERB] V n
If something lines a container or area, especially an area inside a person, animal, or plant, it forms a layer on the inside surface.
...the muscles that line the intestines.
29
see also lined, lining, branch line, branch line, dividing line,
front line, party line, yellow line, yellow line
30 [PHRASE] V inflects, oft PHR at n/-ing
If you draw the line at a particular activity, you refuse to do it, because you disapprove of it or because it is more extreme than what you normally do.
Letters have come from prisoners, declaring that they would draw the line at hitting an old lady.
31 [PHRASE] V inflects
If you draw a line between two things, you make a distinction between them.
It is, however, not possible to draw a distinct line between the two categories.
= distinguish
32 [PHRASE] PHR after v, v-link PHR
If you do something or if it happens to you in the line of duty, you do it or it happens as part of your regular work or as a result of it.
More than 3,000 police officers were wounded in the line of duty last year.
33 [PHRASE] PHR n
If you refer to a method as the first line of, for example, defence or treatment, you mean that it is the first or most important method to be used in dealing with a problem.
Passport checks will remain the first line of defence against terrorists...
34 [PHRASE] PHR for n, PHR to-inf
If you are in line for something, it is likely to happen to you or you are likely to obtain it. If something is in line to happen, it is likely to happen.
He must be in line for a place in the Guinness Book of Records...
Public sector pay is also in line to be hit hard.
= due
35 [PHRASE] v-link PHR, PHR after v, oft PHR with n
If one object is in line with others, or moves into line with others, they are arranged in a line. You can also say that a number of objects are in line or move into line.
The device itself was right under the vehicle, almost in line with the gear lever...
Venus, the Sun and Earth all moved into line.
36 [PHRASE] usu PHR after v, v-link PHR, oft PHR with n
If one thing is in line with another, or is brought into line with it, the first thing is, or becomes, similar to the second, especially in a way that has been planned or expected.
The structure of our schools is now broadly in line with the major countries of the world...
This brings the law into line with most medical opinion.
37 [PHRASE] V inflects
When people stand in line or wait in line, they stand one behind the other in a line, waiting their turn for something. (AM; in BRIT, use queue)
I had been standing in line for three hours.
38 [PHRASE] PHR after v
If you keep someone in line or bring them into line, you make them obey you, or you make them behave in the way you want them to.
All this was just designed to frighten me and keep me in line.
...if the Prime Minister fails to bring rebellious Tories into line.
39 [PHRASE] usu PHR after v
If a machine or piece of equipment comes on line, it starts operating. If it is off line, it is not operating.
The new machine will go on line in June 2006...
Every second her equipment was off line cost the company money.
40 [PHRASE] PHR after v, v-link PHR, PHR n
If you do something on line, you do it using a computer or a computer network.
They can order their requirements on line.
...on-line transaction processing.
41 [PHRASE] usu PHR after v, v-link PHR
If something such as your job, career, or reputation is on the line, you may lose or harm it as a result of what you are doing or of the situation you are in. (INFORMAL)
He wouldn't put his career on the line to help a friend.
42 [PHRASE] usu v-link PHR, oft PHR with n
If one thing is out of line with another, the first thing is different from the second in a way that was not agreed, planned, or expected.
...if one set of figures is sharply out of line with a trend.
43 [PHRASE] v PHR, v-link PHR
If someone steps out of line, they disobey someone or behave in an unacceptable way.
Any one of my players who steps out of line will be in trouble with me as well...
You're way out of line, lady.
44 [PHRASE] V inflects
If you read between the lines, you understand what someone really means, or what is really happening in a situation, even though it is not said openly.
Reading between the lines, it seems neither Cole nor Ledley King will be going to Japan.
45
to sign on the dotted line: see dotted
to line your pockets: see pocket
the line of least resistance: see resistance
to toe the line: see toead|vice line (advice lines)
[N-COUNT]
An advice line is a service that you can telephone in order to get advice about something.
For help on crime prevention, call our 24-hour advice line.as|sem|bly line (assembly lines)
[N-COUNT]
An assembly line is an arrangement of workers and machines in a factory, where each worker deals with only one part of a product. The product passes from one worker to another until it is finished.bi|ki|ni line
[N-SING]
A woman's bikini line is the edges of the area where her pubic hair grows.bot|tom line (bottom lines)
1 [N-COUNT] usu sing, usu the N
The bottom line in a decision or situation is the most important factor that you have to consider.
The bottom line is that it's not profitable...
2 [N-COUNT] usu sing, usu poss N
The bottom line in a business deal is the least a person is willing to accept.
She says £95,000 is her bottom line.
3 [N-COUNT] oft poss N
The bottom line is the total amount of money that a company has made or lost over a particular period of time. (BUSINESS)
...to force chief executives to look beyond the next quarter's bottom line.branch line (branch lines)
[N-COUNT]
A branch line is a railway line that goes to small towns rather than one that goes between large cities.chat-up line (chat-up lines)
[N-COUNT]
A chat-up line is a remark that someone makes in order to start a conversation with someone they do not know but find sexually attractive. (BRIT; in AM, use line)di|vid|ing line (dividing lines)
1 [N-COUNT] usu sing, oft N between pl-n
A dividing line is a distinction or set of distinctions which marks the difference between two types of thing or two groups.
There's a very thin dividing line between joviality and hysteria.
2 [N-SING] oft N between pl-n
The dividing line between two areas is the boundary between them.
...people on both sides of the dividing line between Israel and the occupied territories.fault line (fault lines)
1 [N-COUNT]
A fault line is a long crack in the surface of the earth. Earthquakes usually occur along fault lines.
= fault
2 [N-COUNT]
A fault line in a system or process is an area of it that seems weak and likely to cause problems or failure.
These issues have created a stark fault line within the Peace Process.
= weaknessfin|ish|ing line (finishing lines)
or finish line
[N-COUNT]
In a race, the finishing line is the place on the track or course where the race officially ends.fir|ing line (firing lines)
also firing-line
1 [N-COUNT] usu the N in sing, usu prep N
If you are in the firing line in a conflict, you are in a position where someone is aiming their gun at you.
Any hostages in the firing line would have been sacrificed...
2 [N-SING] the N, usu in/out of N
If you say that someone is in the firing line, you mean that they are being criticized, blamed, or attacked for something.
Foreign banks are in the firing line too...front line (front lines)
also front-line
1 [N-COUNT] usu the N
The front line is the place where two opposing armies are facing each other and where fighting is going on.
...a massive concentration of soldiers on the front line.
2 [ADJ] ADJ n
A front line state shares a border with a country that it is at war with or is in conflict with.
...the front-line states bordering South Africa.
3 [PHRASE] v-link PHR, PHR after v
Someone who is in the front line has to play a very important part in defending or achieving something.
Information officers are in the front line of putting across government policies.goal line (goal lines)
also goal-line
[N-COUNT]
In games such as football and rugby, a goal line is one of the lines at each end of the field.line danc|ing
[N-UNCOUNT]
Line dancing is a style of dancing in which people move across the floor in a line, accompanied by country and western music.line draw|ing (line drawings)
[N-COUNT]
A line drawing is a drawing which consists only of lines.line man|ag|er (line managers)
[N-COUNT]
Your line manager is the person at work who is in charge of your department, group, or project. (BRIT BUSINESS)line of sight (lines of sight)
[N-COUNT] usu sing, oft with poss
Your line of sight is an imaginary line that stretches between your eye and the object that you are looking at.
He was trying to keep out of the bird's line of sight.line of vi|sion
[N-SING] usu with poss
Your line of vision is the same as your line of sight.
Any crack in a car windscreen always seems to be right in the driver's line of vision.line up
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P, V n P, V P n (not pron)
If people line up or if you line them up, they move so that they are standing in a line.
The senior leaders lined up behind him in orderly rows...
The gym teachers lined us up against the cement walls...
When he came back the sergeant had lined up the terrorists.
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n (not pron), V n P
If you line things up, you move them into a straight row.
I would line up my toys on this windowsill and play...
He finished polishing the cocktail glasses and lined them up behind the bar.
3 [PHRASAL VERB] V n P with n, V P with n, V P pl-n, pl-n V P, V-ed P, also V P n with n, V pl-n P
If you line one thing up with another, or one thing lines up with another, the first thing is moved into its correct position in relation to the second. You can also say that two things line up, or are lined up.
You have to line the car up with the ones beside you...
Gas cookers are adjustable in height to line up with your kitchen work top...
Mahoney had lined up two of the crates...
When the images line up exactly, the projectors should be fixed in place...
All we have to do is to get the two pieces lined up properly.
= align
4 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n to-inf, V P n (not pron), also V n P, V n P to-inf
If you line up an event or activity, you arrange for it to happen. If you line someone up for an event or activity, you arrange for them to be available for that event or activity.
She lined up executives, politicians and educators to serve on the board of directors...
Bob Dylan is lining up a two-week UK tour for the New Year.
5
see also line-uppar|ty line
[N-SING]
The party line on a particular issue is the official view taken by a political party, which its members are expected to support.
They ignored the official party line.pick|et line (picket lines)
[N-COUNT]
A picket line is a group of pickets outside a place of work.
No one tried to cross the picket lines.plumb line (plumb lines)
[N-COUNT]
A plumb line is a piece of string with a weight attached to the end that is used to check that something such as a wall is vertical or that it slopes at the correct angle.pov|er|ty line
[N-SING] the N
If someone is on the poverty line, they have just enough income to buy the things they need in order to live.
Thirteen per cent of the population live below the poverty line.pow|er line (power lines)
[N-COUNT]
A power line is a cable, especially above ground, along which electricity is passed to an area or building.prod|uct line (product lines)
[N-COUNT]
A product line is a group of related products produced by one manufacturer, for example products that are intended to be used for similar purposes or to be sold in similar types of shops. (BUSINESS)
A well-known UK supermarket launches more than 1,000 new product lines each year.pro|duc|tion line (production lines)
[N-COUNT]
A production line is an arrangement of machines in a factory where the products pass from machine to machine until they are finished.sup|ply line (supply lines)
[N-COUNT]
A supply line is a route along which goods and equipment are transported to an army during a war.
The bombing campaign appears aimed at cutting the supply lines between Germany and its army in occupied France.tag line (tag lines)
also tag-line
[N-COUNT]
The tag line of something such as a television commercial or a joke is the phrase that comes at the end and is meant to be amusing or easy to remember.un|em|ploy|ment line (unemployment lines)
[N-COUNT]
When people talk about the unemployment line, they are talking about the state of being unemployed, especially when saying how many people are unemployed. (AM; in BRIT, use dole queue)
Many white-collar workers, like stock brokers and investment bankers, find themselves in the unemployment lines.wash|ing line (washing lines)
[N-COUNT]
A washing line is a strong cord which you can hang wet clothes on while they dry.yel|low line (yellow lines)
[N-COUNT]
A yellow line is a narrow yellow line painted at the edge of a road to warn drivers that parking is not allowed there, or is only allowed at certain times.
1 [N-COUNT]
A line is a long thin mark which is drawn or painted on a surface.
Draw a line down that page's center.
...a dotted line...
The ball had clearly crossed the line.
2 [N-COUNT] usu pl
The lines on someone's skin, especially on their face, are long thin marks that appear there as they grow older.
He has a large, generous face with deep lines.
= wrinkle
3 [N-COUNT] oft N of n
A line of people or things is a number of them arranged one behind the other or side by side.
The sparse line of spectators noticed nothing unusual.
= row
4 [N-COUNT]
A line of people or vehicles is a number of them that are waiting one behind another, for example in order to buy something or to go in a particular direction.
Children clutching empty bowls form a line...
= queue
5 [N-COUNT]
A line of a piece of writing is one of the rows of words, numbers, or other symbols in it.
The next line should read: Five days, 23.5 hours...
Tina wouldn't have read more than three lines.
6 [N-COUNT]
A line of a poem, song, or play is a group of words that are spoken or sung together. If an actor learns his or her lines for a play or film, they learn what they have to say.
...a line from Shakespeare's Othello: `one that loved not wisely but too well'...
Learning lines is very easy. Acting is very difficult.
7 [N-VAR] usu with supp
You can refer to a long piece of wire, string, or cable as a line when it is used for a particular purpose.
She put her washing on the line.
...a piece of fishing-line...
The winds downed power lines.
8 [N-COUNT] oft on the N
A line is a connection which makes it possible for two people to speak to each other on the telephone.
The telephone lines went dead...
It's not a very good line. Shall we call you back Susan?...
She's on the line from her home in Boston.
9 [N-COUNT] oft in names after n
You can use line to refer to a telephone number which you can ring in order to get information or advice.
...the 24-hours information line.
10 [N-COUNT] usu pl, usu with supp
A line is a route, especially a dangerous or secret one, along which people move or send messages or supplies.
Negotiators say they're keeping communication lines open.
...the guerrillas' main supply lines.
11 [N-COUNT]
The line in which something or someone moves is the particular route that they take, especially when they keep moving straight ahead.
Walk in a straight line...
The wings were at right angles to the line of flight.
12 [N-COUNT] usu with supp, oft in names after n
A line is a particular route, involving the same stations, roads, or stops along which a train or bus service regularly operates.
They've got to ride all the way to the end of the line...
I would be able to stay on the Piccadilly Line and get off the tube at South Kensington.
13 [N-COUNT]
A railway line consists of the pieces of metal and wood which form the track that the trains travel along.
= track
14 [N-COUNT] usu supp N
A shipping, air, or bus line is a company which provides services for transporting people or goods by sea, air, or bus. (BUSINESS)
The Foreign Office offered to pay the shipping line all the costs of diverting the ship to Bermuda.
= company
15 [N-COUNT] usu sing, with supp
A state or county line is a boundary between two states or counties. (AM)
...the California state line.
= border
16 [N-COUNT]
You can use lines to refer to the set of physical defences or the soldiers that have been established along the boundary of an area occupied by an army.
Their unit was shelling the German lines only seven miles away.
17 [N-COUNT] usu sing, with supp
The particular line that a person has towards a problem is the attitude that they have towards it. For example, if someone takes a hard line on something, they have a firm strict policy which they refuse to change.
Forty members of the governing Conservative party rebelled, voting against the government line...
18 [N-COUNT] usu N of n/-ing
You can use line to refer to the way in which someone's thoughts or activities develop, particularly if it is logical.
What are some of the practical benefits likely to be of this line of research?
19 [N-PLURAL] usu along/on N with supp
If you say that something happens along particular lines, or on particular lines, you are giving a general summary or approximate account of what happens, which may not be correct in every detail.
He'd said something along those lines already...
Our forecast for 1990 was on the right lines...
20 [N-PLURAL] on/along N with supp
If something is organized on particular lines, or along particular lines, it is organized according to that method or principle.
...so-called autonomous republics based on ethnic lines.
...reorganising old factories to work along Japanese lines.
21 [N-COUNT] usu N of n
Your line of business or work is the kind of work that you do. (BUSINESS)
So what was your father's line of business?...
In my line of work I often get home too late for dinner.
22 [N-COUNT]
A line is a particular type of product that a company makes or sells.
His best selling line is the cheapest lager at £1.99.
23 [N-COUNT]
In a factory, a line is an arrangement of workers or machines where a product passes from one worker to another until it is finished.
...a production line capable of producing three different products.
24 [N-COUNT] usu sing, oft N of n, ord in N
You can use line when you are referring to a number of people who are ranked according to status.
Nicholas Paul Patrick was seventh in the line of succession to the throne...
...the man who stands next in line for the presidency.
25 [N-COUNT] usu sing, usu N of n
A particular line of people or things is a series of them that has existed over a period of time, when they have all been similar in some way, or done similar things.
We were part of a long line of artists...
It's the latest in a long line of tragedies.
26 [VERB] V n, V-ed
If people or things line a road, room, or other place, they are present in large numbers along its edges or sides.
Thousands of local people lined the streets and clapped as the procession went by.
...a square lined with pubs and clubs.
● -lined [COMB in ADJ]
...a long tree-lined drive.
27 [VERB] V n, V n with n
If you line a wall, container, or other object, you put a layer of something such as leaves or paper on the inside surface of it in order to make it stronger, warmer, or cleaner.
Scoop the blanket weed out and use it to line hanging baskets...
Female bears tend to line their dens with leaves or grass.
● -lined [COMB in ADJ]
...a dark, suede-lined case.
28 [VERB] V n
If something lines a container or area, especially an area inside a person, animal, or plant, it forms a layer on the inside surface.
...the muscles that line the intestines.
29
see also lined, lining, branch line, branch line, dividing line,
front line, party line, yellow line, yellow line
30 [PHRASE] V inflects, oft PHR at n/-ing
If you draw the line at a particular activity, you refuse to do it, because you disapprove of it or because it is more extreme than what you normally do.
Letters have come from prisoners, declaring that they would draw the line at hitting an old lady.
31 [PHRASE] V inflects
If you draw a line between two things, you make a distinction between them.
It is, however, not possible to draw a distinct line between the two categories.
= distinguish
32 [PHRASE] PHR after v, v-link PHR
If you do something or if it happens to you in the line of duty, you do it or it happens as part of your regular work or as a result of it.
More than 3,000 police officers were wounded in the line of duty last year.
33 [PHRASE] PHR n
If you refer to a method as the first line of, for example, defence or treatment, you mean that it is the first or most important method to be used in dealing with a problem.
Passport checks will remain the first line of defence against terrorists...
34 [PHRASE] PHR for n, PHR to-inf
If you are in line for something, it is likely to happen to you or you are likely to obtain it. If something is in line to happen, it is likely to happen.
He must be in line for a place in the Guinness Book of Records...
Public sector pay is also in line to be hit hard.
= due
35 [PHRASE] v-link PHR, PHR after v, oft PHR with n
If one object is in line with others, or moves into line with others, they are arranged in a line. You can also say that a number of objects are in line or move into line.
The device itself was right under the vehicle, almost in line with the gear lever...
Venus, the Sun and Earth all moved into line.
36 [PHRASE] usu PHR after v, v-link PHR, oft PHR with n
If one thing is in line with another, or is brought into line with it, the first thing is, or becomes, similar to the second, especially in a way that has been planned or expected.
The structure of our schools is now broadly in line with the major countries of the world...
This brings the law into line with most medical opinion.
37 [PHRASE] V inflects
When people stand in line or wait in line, they stand one behind the other in a line, waiting their turn for something. (AM; in BRIT, use queue)
I had been standing in line for three hours.
38 [PHRASE] PHR after v
If you keep someone in line or bring them into line, you make them obey you, or you make them behave in the way you want them to.
All this was just designed to frighten me and keep me in line.
...if the Prime Minister fails to bring rebellious Tories into line.
39 [PHRASE] usu PHR after v
If a machine or piece of equipment comes on line, it starts operating. If it is off line, it is not operating.
The new machine will go on line in June 2006...
Every second her equipment was off line cost the company money.
40 [PHRASE] PHR after v, v-link PHR, PHR n
If you do something on line, you do it using a computer or a computer network.
They can order their requirements on line.
...on-line transaction processing.
41 [PHRASE] usu PHR after v, v-link PHR
If something such as your job, career, or reputation is on the line, you may lose or harm it as a result of what you are doing or of the situation you are in. (INFORMAL)
He wouldn't put his career on the line to help a friend.
42 [PHRASE] usu v-link PHR, oft PHR with n
If one thing is out of line with another, the first thing is different from the second in a way that was not agreed, planned, or expected.
...if one set of figures is sharply out of line with a trend.
43 [PHRASE] v PHR, v-link PHR
If someone steps out of line, they disobey someone or behave in an unacceptable way.
Any one of my players who steps out of line will be in trouble with me as well...
You're way out of line, lady.
44 [PHRASE] V inflects
If you read between the lines, you understand what someone really means, or what is really happening in a situation, even though it is not said openly.
Reading between the lines, it seems neither Cole nor Ledley King will be going to Japan.
45
to sign on the dotted line: see dotted
to line your pockets: see pocket
the line of least resistance: see resistance
to toe the line: see toead|vice line (advice lines)
[N-COUNT]
An advice line is a service that you can telephone in order to get advice about something.
For help on crime prevention, call our 24-hour advice line.as|sem|bly line (assembly lines)
[N-COUNT]
An assembly line is an arrangement of workers and machines in a factory, where each worker deals with only one part of a product. The product passes from one worker to another until it is finished.bi|ki|ni line
[N-SING]
A woman's bikini line is the edges of the area where her pubic hair grows.bot|tom line (bottom lines)
1 [N-COUNT] usu sing, usu the N
The bottom line in a decision or situation is the most important factor that you have to consider.
The bottom line is that it's not profitable...
2 [N-COUNT] usu sing, usu poss N
The bottom line in a business deal is the least a person is willing to accept.
She says £95,000 is her bottom line.
3 [N-COUNT] oft poss N
The bottom line is the total amount of money that a company has made or lost over a particular period of time. (BUSINESS)
...to force chief executives to look beyond the next quarter's bottom line.branch line (branch lines)
[N-COUNT]
A branch line is a railway line that goes to small towns rather than one that goes between large cities.chat-up line (chat-up lines)
[N-COUNT]
A chat-up line is a remark that someone makes in order to start a conversation with someone they do not know but find sexually attractive. (BRIT; in AM, use line)di|vid|ing line (dividing lines)
1 [N-COUNT] usu sing, oft N between pl-n
A dividing line is a distinction or set of distinctions which marks the difference between two types of thing or two groups.
There's a very thin dividing line between joviality and hysteria.
2 [N-SING] oft N between pl-n
The dividing line between two areas is the boundary between them.
...people on both sides of the dividing line between Israel and the occupied territories.fault line (fault lines)
1 [N-COUNT]
A fault line is a long crack in the surface of the earth. Earthquakes usually occur along fault lines.
= fault
2 [N-COUNT]
A fault line in a system or process is an area of it that seems weak and likely to cause problems or failure.
These issues have created a stark fault line within the Peace Process.
= weaknessfin|ish|ing line (finishing lines)
or finish line
[N-COUNT]
In a race, the finishing line is the place on the track or course where the race officially ends.fir|ing line (firing lines)
also firing-line
1 [N-COUNT] usu the N in sing, usu prep N
If you are in the firing line in a conflict, you are in a position where someone is aiming their gun at you.
Any hostages in the firing line would have been sacrificed...
2 [N-SING] the N, usu in/out of N
If you say that someone is in the firing line, you mean that they are being criticized, blamed, or attacked for something.
Foreign banks are in the firing line too...front line (front lines)
also front-line
1 [N-COUNT] usu the N
The front line is the place where two opposing armies are facing each other and where fighting is going on.
...a massive concentration of soldiers on the front line.
2 [ADJ] ADJ n
A front line state shares a border with a country that it is at war with or is in conflict with.
...the front-line states bordering South Africa.
3 [PHRASE] v-link PHR, PHR after v
Someone who is in the front line has to play a very important part in defending or achieving something.
Information officers are in the front line of putting across government policies.goal line (goal lines)
also goal-line
[N-COUNT]
In games such as football and rugby, a goal line is one of the lines at each end of the field.line danc|ing
[N-UNCOUNT]
Line dancing is a style of dancing in which people move across the floor in a line, accompanied by country and western music.line draw|ing (line drawings)
[N-COUNT]
A line drawing is a drawing which consists only of lines.line man|ag|er (line managers)
[N-COUNT]
Your line manager is the person at work who is in charge of your department, group, or project. (BRIT BUSINESS)line of sight (lines of sight)
[N-COUNT] usu sing, oft with poss
Your line of sight is an imaginary line that stretches between your eye and the object that you are looking at.
He was trying to keep out of the bird's line of sight.line of vi|sion
[N-SING] usu with poss
Your line of vision is the same as your line of sight.
Any crack in a car windscreen always seems to be right in the driver's line of vision.line up
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P, V n P, V P n (not pron)
If people line up or if you line them up, they move so that they are standing in a line.
The senior leaders lined up behind him in orderly rows...
The gym teachers lined us up against the cement walls...
When he came back the sergeant had lined up the terrorists.
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n (not pron), V n P
If you line things up, you move them into a straight row.
I would line up my toys on this windowsill and play...
He finished polishing the cocktail glasses and lined them up behind the bar.
3 [PHRASAL VERB] V n P with n, V P with n, V P pl-n, pl-n V P, V-ed P, also V P n with n, V pl-n P
If you line one thing up with another, or one thing lines up with another, the first thing is moved into its correct position in relation to the second. You can also say that two things line up, or are lined up.
You have to line the car up with the ones beside you...
Gas cookers are adjustable in height to line up with your kitchen work top...
Mahoney had lined up two of the crates...
When the images line up exactly, the projectors should be fixed in place...
All we have to do is to get the two pieces lined up properly.
= align
4 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n to-inf, V P n (not pron), also V n P, V n P to-inf
If you line up an event or activity, you arrange for it to happen. If you line someone up for an event or activity, you arrange for them to be available for that event or activity.
She lined up executives, politicians and educators to serve on the board of directors...
Bob Dylan is lining up a two-week UK tour for the New Year.
5
see also line-uppar|ty line
[N-SING]
The party line on a particular issue is the official view taken by a political party, which its members are expected to support.
They ignored the official party line.pick|et line (picket lines)
[N-COUNT]
A picket line is a group of pickets outside a place of work.
No one tried to cross the picket lines.plumb line (plumb lines)
[N-COUNT]
A plumb line is a piece of string with a weight attached to the end that is used to check that something such as a wall is vertical or that it slopes at the correct angle.pov|er|ty line
[N-SING] the N
If someone is on the poverty line, they have just enough income to buy the things they need in order to live.
Thirteen per cent of the population live below the poverty line.pow|er line (power lines)
[N-COUNT]
A power line is a cable, especially above ground, along which electricity is passed to an area or building.prod|uct line (product lines)
[N-COUNT]
A product line is a group of related products produced by one manufacturer, for example products that are intended to be used for similar purposes or to be sold in similar types of shops. (BUSINESS)
A well-known UK supermarket launches more than 1,000 new product lines each year.pro|duc|tion line (production lines)
[N-COUNT]
A production line is an arrangement of machines in a factory where the products pass from machine to machine until they are finished.sup|ply line (supply lines)
[N-COUNT]
A supply line is a route along which goods and equipment are transported to an army during a war.
The bombing campaign appears aimed at cutting the supply lines between Germany and its army in occupied France.tag line (tag lines)
also tag-line
[N-COUNT]
The tag line of something such as a television commercial or a joke is the phrase that comes at the end and is meant to be amusing or easy to remember.un|em|ploy|ment line (unemployment lines)
[N-COUNT]
When people talk about the unemployment line, they are talking about the state of being unemployed, especially when saying how many people are unemployed. (AM; in BRIT, use dole queue)
Many white-collar workers, like stock brokers and investment bankers, find themselves in the unemployment lines.wash|ing line (washing lines)
[N-COUNT]
A washing line is a strong cord which you can hang wet clothes on while they dry.yel|low line (yellow lines)
[N-COUNT]
A yellow line is a narrow yellow line painted at the edge of a road to warn drivers that parking is not allowed there, or is only allowed at certain times.