central line

noun

medical

: an IV line that is inserted into a large vein (such as the superior vena cava) typically in the neck or near the heart for therapeutic or diagnostic purposes (as to administer medicines or fluids or withdraw blood)

Central lines transfuse IV fluids faster than standard IVs and are used to deliver medicines to sicker patients, usually in the intensive care unit or operating room.

—Tim Friend

Examples of central line in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Carruthers' lawyer witnessed the attempts and said the team tried to insert an IV in Carruthers’ arm, hand and foot before attempting to insert a central line. — ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026

The team tried Carruthers’ arm, hand and foot before moving to a central line. — Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 13 Aug. 2026

Additional crowns can also be found through the tongue logo, a central line of the outsole and a metal clip at the top of the throat. — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 12 Aug. 2026

Argentina are so good at central line breaks that Tuchel needs athletes and ball-winners. — Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 14 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1983, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for central line

• alkaline
• andesine
• anodyne
• anticline
• arginine
• asinine
• benzidine
• borderline
• byzantine
• calamine
• caroline
• centerline

Medical Definition

central line

noun

: an IV line that is inserted into a large vein (as the superior vena cava) typically in the neck or near the heart for therapeutic or diagnostic purposes (as to administer medicines or fluids or withdraw blood)

I had trained in the intensive care unit. I could start a central line, intubate a patient in respiratory failure, and insert a pacemaker.

—Margaret Seton, The New England Journal of Medicine