Collins English-English Dictionary

line [laɪn]

1. 1. n a narrow continuous mark, as one made by a pencil, pen, or brush across a surface

2. 2. n [US and Canadian] a line of people, vehicles, etc, waiting for something queue

3. 3. n such a mark cut into or raised from a surface

4. 4. n a thin indented mark or wrinkle

5. 5. n a straight or curved continuous trace having no breadth that is produced by a moving point

6. 6. n [maths] any straight one-dimensional geometrical element whose identity is determined by two points. A line segment lies between any two points on a line

7. 7. n 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

8. 8. n a border or boundary

   the county line

9. 9. n [sport] a white or coloured band indicating a boundary or division on a field, track, etc

10. 10. n a mark or imaginary mark at which a race begins or ends

11. 11. n See line of scrimmage

12. 12. n [American football] the players arranged in a row on either side of the line of scrimmage at the start of each play

13. 13. n a specified point of change or limit

    the dividing line between sanity and madness

14. 14. n the edge or contour of a shape, as in sculpture or architecture, or a mark on a painting, drawing, etc, defining or suggesting this

15. 15. n 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

16. 16. n anything long, flexible, and thin, such as a wire or string

    a washing line

    a fishing line

17. 17. n a telephone connection

    a direct line to New York

18. 18. n a conducting wire, cable, or circuit for making connections between pieces of electrical apparatus, such as a cable for electric-power transmission, telecommunications, etc

19. 19. n (as modifier)

    the line voltage

20. 20. n a system of travel or transportation, esp over agreed routes

    a shipping line

21. 21. n a company operating such a system

22. 22. n a route between two points on a railway

23. 23. n [chiefly Brit] a railway track, including the roadbed, sleepers, etc

24. 24. n one of the rails of such a track

25. 25. n [NZ] a roadway usually in a rural area

26. 26. n a course or direction of movement or advance

    the line of flight of a bullet

27. 27. n a course or method of action, behaviour, etc

    take a new line with him

28. 28. n a policy or prescribed course of action or way of thinking (often in the phrases bring or come into line)

29. 29. n a field of study, interest, occupation, trade, or profession

    this book is in your line

30. 30. n alignment; true (esp in the phrases in line, out of line)

31. 31. n one kind of product or article

    a nice line in hats

32. 32. n [NZ] a collection of bales of wool all of the one type

33. 33. n a row of persons or things

    a line of cakes on the conveyor belt

34. 34. n a chronological or ancestral series, esp of people

    a line of prime ministers

35. 35. n a row of words printed or written across a page or column

36. 36. n 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

37. 37. n a short letter; note

    just a line to say thank you

38. 38. n a piece of useful information or hint about something

    give me a line on his work

39. 39. n one of a number of narrow horizontal bands forming a television picture

40. 40. n [physics] a narrow band in an electromagnetic spectrum, resulting from a transition in an atom, ion, or molecule of a gas or plasma

41. 41. n [music] any of the five horizontal marks that make up the stave - Compare space

42. 42. n the musical part or melody notated on one such set

43. 43. n a discernible shape formed by sequences of notes or musical sounds

    a meandering melodic line

44. 44. n (in polyphonic music) a set of staves that are held together with a bracket or brace

45. 45. n a unit of magnetic flux equal to 1 maxwell

46. 46. n a defensive or fortified position, esp one that marks the most forward position in war or a national boundary

    the front line

47. 47. n a formation adopted by a body or a number of military units when drawn up abreast

48. 48. n the combatant forces of certain armies and navies, excluding supporting arms

49. 49. n [fencing] one of four divisions of the target on a fencer's body, considered as areas to which specific attacks are made

50. 50. n the scent left by a fox

51. 51. n the equator (esp in the phrase crossing the line)

52. 52. n any circle or arc on the terrestrial or celestial sphere

53. 53. n the amount of insurance written by an underwriter for a particular risk

54. 54. n [slang] a portion of a powdered drug for snorting

55. 55. n [slang] something said for effect, esp to solicit for money, sex, etc

    he gave me his usual line

56. 56. vt. [tr] to mark with a line or lines

57. 57. vt. [tr] to draw or represent with a line or lines

58. 58. vt. [tr] to be or put as a border to

    tulips lined the lawns

59. 59. vt. to place in or form a row, series, or alignment

60. 60. vt. See also lines line-up

61. 61. vt. [Etymology] C13: partly from Old French ligne, ultimately from Latin linea, n use of lineus flaxen, from linum flax; partly from Old English lin, ultimately also from Latin linum flax

line [laɪn]

1. 1. vt. [tr] to attach an inside covering to (a garment, curtain, etc), as for protection, to hide the seaming, or so that it should hang well

2. 2. vt. to cover or fit the inside of

   to line the walls with books

3. 3. vt. to fill plentifully

   a purse lined with money

4. 4. vt. to reinforce the back of (a book) with fabric, paper, etc

5. 5. vt. [Etymology] C14: ultimately from Latin linum flax, since linings were often made of linen