INDEX:
1. a line on paper
2. a line of colour
3. a line on the ground or on the surface of something
4. a line on cloth where it has been folded or crushed
5. a line on someone’s face or skin
6. a line of things
7. a line of writing or numbers
8. a line that separates two areas or countries
9. to draw or mark a line on something
10. a line of people
11. to stand in a line of people
12. to arrange things or people in a line
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1. a line on paper
▷ line /laɪn/ [countable noun]
a long, thin, continuous mark on a surface :
▪ The teacher had put a red line through the first sentence.
▪ Mike drew a line along the wall to show where the tiles would come up to.
straight line
▪ Use your ruler to draw a straight line.
lined [adjective]
paper that is lined has lines printed across it :
▪ a letter written on pale blue lined paper
▷ dotted line /ˌdɒtɪd ˈlaɪn, ˌdɒtəd ˈlaɪnǁˌdɑː-/ [countable noun]
a line made up of dots that is marked on paper, especially to show the place where someone must write their name :
▪ Sign on the dotted line, please.
▪ The dotted line on the map shows the path that goes from the church down to the river.
▪ Fold the paper along the dotted line.
2. a line of colour
▷ stripe /straɪp/ [countable noun]
a straight line of colour on cloth, paper etc, usually part of a pattern where the line is repeated many times :
▪ The American flag has red and white stripes.
▪ He was wearing a grey suit with narrow blue stripes.
▪ My horse had a big white stripe down the middle of his nose.
▷ striped also stripy British spoken /straɪpt, ˈstraɪpi/ [adjective]
something which is striped or stripy has a pattern on it which is made of many narrow coloured lines which are close together :
▪ He was wearing a navy blue suit and a striped shirt.
▪ stripey socks
red and black striped/pink and blue striped etc
▪ My aunt knitted me a blue and white striped sweater for Christmas.
▷ band /bænd/ [countable noun]
a thick coloured line :
▪ a black snake with orange bands around its back
band of
▪ There was a band of yellow in the rock.
▪ How many bands of colour are there in a rainbow?
▷ streak /striːk/ [countable noun]
a coloured line, especially one that is not straight or that has been made without any plan or pattern :
▪ Her hair was brown, with streaks of gold.
▪ Karen’s dress had a big streak of red wine down the front.
▪ ‘What have you been doing?’ asked his mother, pointing at the streaks of dried mud on his arms and legs.
3. a line on the ground or on the surface of something
▷ line /laɪn/ [countable noun]
▪ If the ball goes over this line, it’s out of play.
yellow line
a yellow line painted on the street which means that you cannot park there
▪ Monica got a fine yesterday for parking on a yellow line.
▷ rut /rʌt/ [countable noun]
a deep line made in a dirt track by the wheels of vehicles :
▪ The road to the farm had deep ruts in it.
▪ The carriage became stuck in a rut, and we all had to get out and push.
rutted [adjective]
having many deep ruts: :
▪ Gradually the road became more rutted and muddy.
▷ tracks /træks/ [plural noun]
lines on the ground that are left by the wheels of a vehicle :
▪ The police were busy examining the tyre tracks of the two vehicles which were involved in the accident.
▪ We followed the tracks down a lane and arrived at an abandoned farmhouse.
▷ groove /gruːv/ [countable noun]
a thin line that has been cut into a surface, for example on a record :
▪ The record player needle kept jumping out of the grooves.
▪ Then you cut a groove into the wood, so that the two pieces can be slotted together.
▷ furrow /ˈfʌrəʊǁˈfɜːr-/ [countable noun]
one of many long lines which have been dug in a field in order to plant crops :
▪ All around the furrows in the fields were filled with snow.
4. a line on cloth where it has been folded or crushed
▷ crease /kriːs/ [countable noun] especially British
a line on a piece of clothing or material where it has been folded or crushed :
▪ When I unpacked my suitcase, all my shirts had creases in them.
▷ wrinkle /ˈrɪŋk ə l/ [countable noun] especially American
a line in a piece of clothing that is caused when it has not been folded or hung properly, but instead has been left somewhere untidily :
▪ If you hang that dress over the bath, the steam will get the wrinkles out.
▪ It’s made from a special fabric that doesn’t leave any wrinkles after you wash it.
▷ wrinkled especially American /creased especially British /ˈrɪŋk ə ld, kriːst/ [adjective]
clothes that are wrinkled or creased have a lot of wrinkles or creases in them :
▪ Your tie’s creased, you’ll have to iron it.
▪ Chris, as usual, came in wearing old jeans and a wrinkled T-shirt.
5. a line on someone’s face or skin
▷ line /laɪn/ [countable noun]
▪ When she laughed, little lines formed at the corners of her eyes and mouth.
▪ The deep lines on his forehead showed that he was a worried man.
▷ wrinkle /ˈrɪŋk ə l/ [countable noun usually plural]
a deep line on someone’s face or skin, which is caused by growing old :
▪ Her face was old and covered in wrinkles.
▪ Delay the effects of ageing with a revolutionary new anti-wrinkle cream.
▷ wrinkled /ˈrɪŋk ə ld/ [adjective]
if someone’s face or skin is wrinkled, it has a lot of wrinkles on it :
▪ a small man with a balding head and a very wrinkled face
▪ Mrs Franz sat on the step, shelling peas with her wrinkled old hands.
▷ crease /kriːs/ [countable noun]
a deep line on someone’s face or skin, which lasts for a short time because they are smiling, bending part of their body etc :
▪ When he smiles, you can see the creases around his mouth and his eyes.
creased [adjective]
▪ The baby howled, its face creased and pink.
6. a line of things
▷ line /laɪn/ [countable noun]
several things that are standing next to each other or one behind the other :
in a line
▪ Maisie had arranged her teddy bears in a line on the bed.
line of
▪ In front of the house there is a line of tall trees.
▷ row /rəʊ/ [countable noun]
a line of things that have been deliberately put next to each other, especially one of several lines that are arranged one behind the other :
▪ The tiny cottages had been built in long rows.
▪ They put a row of chairs out for the visitors.
▪ Julie arranged her perfumes and creams in neat rows on the dressing table.
row upon row
many rows
▪ The back wall was covered with row upon row of files.
▷ bank /bæŋk/ [countable noun]
a line of computers, televisions, or other electrical equipment :
bank of
▪ Fans who couldn’t get into the stadium watched the match on banks of TV monitors outside.
▪ The scientists sit behind banks of computers, giving instructions to the crew of the spaceship.
▷ tier /tɪəʳ/ [countable noun]
one of many rows of seats in a theatre, concert hall etc, which are at different levels :
tier of
▪ We always sat in the top tier of seats.
▪ Mason occupied two spaces on a tier of seats normally reserved for the board of directors and important visitors.
7. a line of writing or numbers
▷ line /laɪn/ [countable noun]
a line of writing that goes across a page :
▪ Martin opened the letter and read the first few lines - it was bad news.
▪ Start reading at line 12.
line of
▪ a few lines of poetry
▷ column /ˈkɒləmǁˈkɑː-/ [countable noun]
a line of numbers written under each other, that goes down a page :
▪ Sales totals are shown in this column.
▪ Add up the numbers in the column on the right.
8. a line that separates two areas or countries
▷ border /ˈbɔːʳdəʳ/ [countable noun]
the official line that separates two countries, or the area close to this line :
▪ They escaped across the border into Thailand.
border with
▪ Iraq had put thousands of troops along its border with Kuwait.
border between
▪ The town lies on the border between Chile and Argentina.
the German/Mexican/Swiss etc border
▪ Strasbourg is very close to the German border.
cross the border
▪ As soon as we crossed the border we began to see signs of poverty.
on the border
▪ Jeumont is a small town on the French-Belgian border.
border town/area/region
▪ The army’s main task was to patrol the border regions.
border dispute
when two countries disagree about where the border should be
▪ The two presidents met for the first time to discuss their longstanding border dispute.
▷ boundary /ˈbaʊnd ə ri/ [countable noun]
the official line that marks the edge of an area of land, for example a farm or one of the parts of a country :
▪ More and more people are moving outside the city boundaries.
boundary between something and something
▪ The Mississippi River forms the boundary between Tennessee and Arkansas.
draw a boundary
(=decide where a boundary will be
▪ Politicians drew strangely shaped boundaries, in order to give themselves an advantage in the next election.
9. to draw or mark a line on something
▷ draw a line /ˌdrɔː ə ˈlaɪn/ [verb phrase]
▪ The teacher drew a line on the blackboard.
▪ Someone’s drawn a line through my name and written in theirs.
▷ underline /ˌʌndəʳˈlaɪn/ [transitive verb]
to draw a line under a word in order to make people notice it :
▪ Don’t forget to underline the title of the essay.
▪ All the mistakes had been underlined in red ink.
▷ rule /ruːl/ [transitive verb] formal
to draw a straight line using a ruler or other straight edge :
▪ He ruled three lines under the title of his essay.
▪ She divided the page into four by ruling two diagonal lines across it.
10. a line of people
▷ line /laɪn/ [countable noun]
a line of people who are standing behind each other or next to each other :
▪ The Queen is walking slowly along the lines of soldiers, occasionally stopping to ask a question.
in a line
forming a line
▪ The photographer asked us to stand in a line.
form a line
make a line
▪ The teacher got the children to form a line before they went into the hall.
▷ row /rəʊ/ [countable noun]
a line of people who have been arranged to stand or sit next to each other, especially when there are several lines of people arranged one behind another :
▪ Can you see me in the photo? I’m in the back row on the left.
in a row
▪ The hotel staff stood in a row to greet their important guests.
▷ queue British /line American /kjuː, laɪn/ [countable noun]
a number of people who are standing one behind another, waiting to do something :
▪ There was a queue of about fifteen people at the bus stop.
queue for
▪ The line for the movie went right around the block.
form a queue/line
make a queue/line
▪ The women who were waiting outside the toilets began to form a queue.
in the queue
part of the queue
▪ Excuse me, are you in the queue?
▷ in single file /ɪn ˌsɪŋg ə l ˈfaɪl/ [adverb]
if a group of people walk in single file, they walk one behind another in a line :
▪ The path was so narrow that we had to walk in single file.
▷ procession /prəˈseʃ ə n/ [countable noun]
a group of people or vehicles that move slowly along in a line, especially as part of a public ceremony :
▪ We were held up by a long funeral procession.
▪ The children were eager to take part in the carnival procession.
▷ parade /pəˈreɪd/ [countable noun]
an event in which a line of people such as musicians, dancers etc, or a line of decorated vehicles, go down the street while other people watch them in order to celebrate something :
▪ A lot of soldiers were missing from the Victory parade.
▪ When Johnson arrived home after the championships a big parade was held in his honour.
▷ column /ˈkɒləmǁˈkɑː-/ [countable noun]
a long moving line of people, especially soldiers :
▪ The column of French soldiers passed us on their way to the battlefront.
▪ Columns of men and women were making their way towards the central square.
11. to stand in a line of people
▷ stand/wait/be in line also stand/wait on line American /ˌstænd, ˌweɪt, biː ɪn ˈlaɪn, ˌstænd, ˌweɪt ɒn ˈlaɪn/ [verb phrase]
to stand in a line of people who are waiting to do something :
▪ Jerry joined the crowd of people who were waiting in line outside the stadium.
▪ Standing in line for hours at some government office was not exactly my idea of fun.
to do something
▪ Are you in line to get tickets?
▷ queue /kjuː/ [intransitive verb] British
to stand in a line of people who are waiting to do something :
▪ We had to queue for hours in the rain.
queue to do something
▪ One of the other passengers who was queueing to get on the train suddenly had a heart attack.
queue for
▪ Thousands queued for tickets to see the final.
▷ queue up British /line up American /ˌkjuː ˈʌp, ˌlaɪn ˈʌp/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
to form a line or join a line of people who are standing one behind another in order to wait to do something, for example buy a ticket :
▪ We queued up outside the stadium and had to wait over an hour for our tickets.
queue up to do something
▪ People began lining up to get into the movie theater.
queue up for
▪ We used to have to queue up for bread every morning.
▷ line /laɪn/ [transitive verb]
if many people line a street, they stand next to each other in lines along the sides of it, especially in order to see an important person or event :
▪ Hundreds of people lined the streets to see the football team go by.
▪ The route taken by the Queen was lined with crowds of people waving flags.
12. to arrange things or people in a line
▷ line up /ˌlaɪn ˈʌp/ [transitive phrasal verb]
line up somebody/something
▪ He lined up the plates on the table in front of them.
line somebody/something up
▪ They lined the prisoners up and shot them.
▪ The horses were being lined up for the start of the race.