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
On Tuesday, Gilman sent an email to Jenkins and other members of the Sierra Club saying her agency did not plan on conducting any new studies in the next year, as officials seek more details about timeline of the I-84 project.
—John Moritz, Hartford Courant, 30 Jan. 2026
Looking at a timeline of developments by decade, the 5-year span of the 2020s has already seen higher levels of construction, both completed and underway, in office, hotel and residential spaces.
—Charlotte Observer, 30 Jan. 2026
At the January Pewaukee Common Council meeting, however, an Amtrak presentation included a project timeline with a goal to start service as early as 2029.
—Maia Pandey, jsonline.com, 30 Jan. 2026
There was no mention of any successor or a timeline given to name one.
—Miles Socha, Footwear News, 30 Jan. 2026
But oil companies don’t make decisions on short-term timelines.
—Amena Bakr, semafor.com, 30 Jan. 2026
The timeline for achieving true quantum advantage has stopped shifting further out.
—Sylvain Duranton, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
The Gold Card doesn’t change that timeline or replace any of the steps.
—Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Jan. 2026
Mendoza said that phase is still in planning and design and the city has not yet announced a timeline or funding for that phase of the initiative.
—Alex Driggars, Austin American Statesman, 30 Jan. 2026
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John Moritz, Hartford Courant, 30 Jan. 2026
Looking at a timeline of developments by decade, the 5-year span of the 2020s has already seen higher levels of construction, both completed and underway, in office, hotel and residential spaces.
—Charlotte Observer, 30 Jan. 2026
At the January Pewaukee Common Council meeting, however, an Amtrak presentation included a project timeline with a goal to start service as early as 2029.
—Maia Pandey, jsonline.com, 30 Jan. 2026
There was no mention of any successor or a timeline given to name one.
—Miles Socha, Footwear News, 30 Jan. 2026
But oil companies don’t make decisions on short-term timelines.
—Amena Bakr, semafor.com, 30 Jan. 2026
The timeline for achieving true quantum advantage has stopped shifting further out.
—Sylvain Duranton, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
The Gold Card doesn’t change that timeline or replace any of the steps.
—Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Jan. 2026
Mendoza said that phase is still in planning and design and the city has not yet announced a timeline or funding for that phase of the initiative.
—Alex Driggars, Austin American Statesman, 30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Timeline.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/timeline. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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