toe the line

T t

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [toh stressed th ee lahyn]
- /toʊ stressed ði laɪn/
- /təʊ ðə laɪn/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [toh stressed th ee lahyn]
- /toʊ stressed ði laɪn/

Definitions of toe the line words

noun toe the line a mark or stroke long in proportion to its breadth, made with a pen, pencil, tool, etc., on a surface: a line down the middle of the page. 1
noun toe the line Mathematics. a continuous extent of length, straight or curved, without breadth or thickness; the trace of a moving point. 1
noun toe the line something arranged along a line, especially a straight line; a row or series: a line of trees. 1
noun toe the line a number of persons standing one behind the other and waiting their turns at or for something; queue. 1
noun toe the line something resembling a traced line, as a band of color, a seam, or a furrow: lines of stratification in rock. 1
noun toe the line a furrow or wrinkle on the face, neck, etc.: lines around the eyes. 1

See all 85 definitions of toe the line

Information block about the term

Origin of toe the line

First appearance:

before 1000

One of the 6% oldest English words

before 1000; Middle English li(g)ne cord, rope, stroke, series, guiding rule, partly < Old French ligne ≪ Latin līnea, noun use of feminine of līneus flaxen (orig. applied to string), equivalent to līn(um) flax (see line2) + -eus -eous, partly continuing Old English līne string, row, series < Latin, as above

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Toe the line

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Toe the line

toe the line popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 100% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

toe the line usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for toe the line

verb toe the line

act upon — anything done, being done, or to be done; deed; performance: a heroic act.
babysit — If you babysit for someone or babysit their children, you look after their children while they are out.
caving — the sport of climbing in and exploring caves
co-ordinate — If you co-ordinate an activity, you organize the various people and things involved in it.
conform — If something conforms to something such as a law or someone's wishes, it is of the required type or quality.

All 28 Synonyms of toe the line