timeline

noun

time·​line ˈtīm-ˌlīn 

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

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

In her "Foundations of Western Civilization" course … Prof. Julia Gossard has her students create a timeline of the history of food …

—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

Giving the client a say in every step of the project could create a delay and throw off the timeline …

—Katie Bates

2

: 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

The stakes are high, and the timeline is tight.

—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

3

: 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

And if there's something funny … I make sure to Retweet so others can cleanse their timeline and enjoy.

—Andy Richardson

4

: 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 fiction

… 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

Examples of timeline in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Listed at 6-3, 230 pounds, Craig would be a senior next season, which would fit nicely with TCU’s timeline with Schobel and Daulton. —Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Dec. 2025

Following the introduction of He Who Remains on Disney+'s Loki, the Avengers project was initially going to revolve around an alternate-timeline variant of the character Kang the Conqueror, played by Jonathan Majors. —Kelsie Gibson, PEOPLE, 20 Dec. 2025

Friday was a difficult day for some Coloradans who have had to endure a second public safety power shutoff this week and no clear timeline as to when power would be turned back on at their homes. —Karen Morfitt, CBS News, 20 Dec. 2025

Not to throw anyone under the bus, but the timeline was always the biggest issue to make all these characters and plot lines intertwine. —Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 19 Dec. 2025

Luetzow expressed frustration that the airport switched to shorter, more expensive leases before finalizing a redevelopment plan or timeline. —Francesca Pica, jsonline.com, 19 Dec. 2025

Shoppers who don’t want to navigate stores, but also don’t want to chance shipping timelines, are increasingly using buy online, pick up in store (BOPIS) options in the final stretch of the holiday shopping season. —Courtney Reagan, CNBC, 19 Dec. 2025

Within days, it was hurled into the internet's true crime universe, Andrea May Sahouri reports, with influencers far and wide sharing posts, live streams and even dissections of timelines and evidence, bringing national attention to Park and a reeling rural Michigan community. —Leah Olajide, Freep.com, 19 Dec. 2025

Details emerge about the timeline of Rob and Michele Reiner's death. —Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 19 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1907, in the meaning defined at sense 1b