variants
or time line
plural timelines or time lines
1
a
: an arrangement or occurrence (as of past events) in time : chronology
After interviewing the suspect, the wardens pieced together a timeline of events and gathered enough evidence to file appropriate charges …—
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
b
: a visual representation of events associated with a particular period of time arranged chronologically along a line or in a linear format
The book also includes a timeline, showing which dinosaurs lived when and where, and how the Earth has changed over millions of years.—The Children's Bookwatch
The Children's BookwatchIn her "Foundations of Western Civilization" course … Prof. Julia Gossard has her students create a timeline of the history of food …—Thomas Keith
Thomas Keith
c
: a schedule of planned events, actions, etc. : timetable sense 2
With just under a year left until your nuptials, here's what's next on your wedding planning timeline.—Sarah Hanlon
Sarah HanlonGiving the client a say in every step of the project could create a delay and throw off the timeline …—Katie Bates
Katie Bates2
: a period of time especially with respect to some project or event : time frame
And what's the timeline for implementing these changes?—Mark Sovel
Mark SovelThe stakes are high, and the timeline is tight.—Rio Longacre
Rio Longacre… school districts can't open before Labor Day and must end by June 15. But to meet that compressed timeline … , districts have had to consider trade-offs.—Donna St. George
Donna St. George3
: a stream of social media posts : feed sense 3e
Algorithmic timelines quietly replaced chronological ones, until our social-media feeds no longer took direction from us, but rather directed us where they wanted us to go.—Yair Rosenberg
Yair RosenbergAnd if there's something funny … I make sure to Retweet so others can cleanse their timeline and enjoy.—Andy Richardson
Andy Richardson4
: a branch of a theoretical multiverse that exists in parallel with other branches
… the notion that we're surrounded by a multitude of parallel selves, one of which might be living in a better timeline than the one we're stuck in.—S. I. Rosenbaum
—used especially in science fictionS. I. Rosenbaum… Dune: Awakening is set in an "alternate" timeline from the original Frank Herbert novels, where something has happened to change the course of history.—Wes Fenlon
Wes FenlonExamples of timeline in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Those savings also shortened the timeline for residents to see returns on their investments from electricity savings.
—Emily L Mahoney, Sun Sentinel, 14 July 2025
Here is a timeline of Epstein and Trump’s relationship.
—Rebecca Schneid, Time, 14 July 2025
However, the timeline hit a speed bump with a traffic analysis.
—Erik S. Hanley, jsonline.com, 14 July 2025
If the show follows a similar timeline for Season 7, the reunion will likely take place sometime in early August.
—Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 13 July 2025
Wawa has not commented on opening timelines for any of its in-development sites, other than its first Louisville store, set to open July 24 at 9650 Preston Crossing Blvd.
—Matthew Glowicki, The Courier-Journal, 13 July 2025
The Associated Press has assembled an approximate timeline of the events before, during and after the deadly flash flood from sources including state and local documents, social media posts, firsthand accounts and scanner traffic archived on Broadcastify.
—Hannah Fingerhut, Chicago Tribune, 12 July 2025
As of July 11, no timeline had been given for whether Aguirre will be returned to county custody.
—Raphael Romero Ruiz, AZCentral.com, 12 July 2025
The goal is to rehabilitate former moa habitats to support native wildlife, though no timeline has been given for when a moa-like bird might be born.
—Moná Thomas, People.com, 12 July 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Emily L Mahoney, Sun Sentinel, 14 July 2025
Here is a timeline of Epstein and Trump’s relationship.
—Rebecca Schneid, Time, 14 July 2025
However, the timeline hit a speed bump with a traffic analysis.
—Erik S. Hanley, jsonline.com, 14 July 2025
If the show follows a similar timeline for Season 7, the reunion will likely take place sometime in early August.
—Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 13 July 2025
Wawa has not commented on opening timelines for any of its in-development sites, other than its first Louisville store, set to open July 24 at 9650 Preston Crossing Blvd.
—Matthew Glowicki, The Courier-Journal, 13 July 2025
The Associated Press has assembled an approximate timeline of the events before, during and after the deadly flash flood from sources including state and local documents, social media posts, firsthand accounts and scanner traffic archived on Broadcastify.
—Hannah Fingerhut, Chicago Tribune, 12 July 2025
As of July 11, no timeline had been given for whether Aguirre will be returned to county custody.
—Raphael Romero Ruiz, AZCentral.com, 12 July 2025
The goal is to rehabilitate former moa habitats to support native wildlife, though no timeline has been given for when a moa-like bird might be born.
—Moná Thomas, People.com, 12 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Timeline.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/timeline. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share