A line is a long thin mark which is drawn or painted on a surface.

The lines on some-one's skin, especially on their face, are long thin marks that appear there as they grow older.

A line of people or things is a number of them arranged one behind the other or side by side.

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.

A line of a piece of writing is one of the rows of words, numbers, or other symbols in it.

In school, if a child is given lines, he or she is punished by being made to write out a sentence many times or to write out a passage from a book.

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 particular type of line in a conversation is a remark that is intended to have a particular effect.

You can refer to a long piece of wire, string, or cable as a line when it is used for a particular purpose.

A line is a connection which makes it possible for two people to speak to each other on the telephone.

You can use line to refer to a telephone number which you can ring in order to get information or advice.

A line is a route, especially a dangerous or secret one, along which people move or send messages or supplies.

The line in which something or someone moves is the particular route that they take, especially when they keep moving straight ahead.

A line is a particular route, involving the same stations, roads, or stops along which a train or bus service regularly operates.

A railway line consists of the pieces of metal and wood which form the track that the trains travel along.

A shipping, air, or bus line is a company which provides services for transporting people or goods by sea, air, or bus.

You can use line to refer to the edge, outline, or shape of an object or a person's body.

A state or county line is a boundary between two states or counties.

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.

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.

You can use line to refer to the way in which someone's thoughts or activities develop, particularly if it is logical.

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.

If something is organized on particular lines, or along particular lines, it is organized according to that method or principle.

Your line of business or work is the kind of work that you do.

If someone says that something is your line, or that it is in your line, they mean that it is the sort of thing that you often do because you enjoy doing it.

A line is a particular type of product that a company makes or sells.

You can use line to refer to something connected with a particular activity. For example, something in the sports line is connected with sports.

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.

You can use line to refer to all the generations of a family, especially when you are considering the social status or the physical characteristics that the various members inherit.

You can use line when you are referring to a number of people who are ranked according to status.

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.

If people or things line a road, room, or other place, they are present in large numbers along its edges or sides.

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.

If something lines a container or area, especially an area inside a person, animal, or plant, it forms a layer on the inside surface.

If something happens somewhere along the line or down the line, it happens during the course of a situation or activity, often at a point that cannot be exactly identified.

If you say that something happens all down the line, or right down the line, you mean that it happens in every case.

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.

If you draw a line between two things, you make a distinction between them.

If you drop someone a line, you write to them.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

When people stand in line or wait in line, they stand one behind the other in a line, waiting their turn for something.

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.

If a machine or piece of equipment comes on line, it starts operating. If it is off line, it is not operating.

If you do something on line, you do it using a computer or a computer network.

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.

In a row or group of objects, if one of them is out of line, it is not in its correct position.

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 someone steps out of line, they disobey someone or behave in an unacceptable way.

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.