firing line
noun
1
: a line from which fire is delivered against a target
2
: the forefront of an activity
—used especially in the phrase on the firing line
Examples of firing line in a Sentence
a brave soldier who was never far behind the firing line
Recent Examples on the Web
Tell a soldier's story New Zealand soldiers walking over a wooden bridge spanning the Ypres Canal heading for the firing line at the Western Front, c. 1917.
—
Bob Hirshon, Discover Magazine, 2 Aug. 2024
The willingness of the four judges to challenge the status quo placed them directly in the political firing line.
—Nic Cheeseman, Foreign Affairs, 15 Nov. 2017
Fred fell off his horse, grabbed his .35 Magnum, and came charging up to the firing line like a Patton tank.
—Jack O'Connor, Outdoor Life, 2 May 2024
Anything that gets No. 1 netminder Alexandar Georgiev away from the crease and out of the firing line.
—Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 22 Apr. 2024
The memo, also quoted by CNN, noted that journalists whose roles can be performed by AI will be the first in future firing lines.
—Faustine Ngila, Quartz, 21 June 2023
Republicans, meanwhile, are afraid of Donald Trump and his supporters and want to stay out of the firing line of both.
—Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 16 June 2023
Getting to the entrance requires traversing open ground in the direct firing line of the Burma Army outpost.
—Jason Motlagh, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2023
In one video, published on March 12, about 20 women appealed to Putin and Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, to remove their men from the firing line.
—Francesca Ebel, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2023
Bob Hirshon, Discover Magazine, 2 Aug. 2024
The willingness of the four judges to challenge the status quo placed them directly in the political firing line.
—Nic Cheeseman, Foreign Affairs, 15 Nov. 2017
Fred fell off his horse, grabbed his .35 Magnum, and came charging up to the firing line like a Patton tank.
—Jack O'Connor, Outdoor Life, 2 May 2024
Anything that gets No. 1 netminder Alexandar Georgiev away from the crease and out of the firing line.
—Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 22 Apr. 2024
The memo, also quoted by CNN, noted that journalists whose roles can be performed by AI will be the first in future firing lines.
—Faustine Ngila, Quartz, 21 June 2023
Republicans, meanwhile, are afraid of Donald Trump and his supporters and want to stay out of the firing line of both.
—Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 16 June 2023
Getting to the entrance requires traversing open ground in the direct firing line of the Burma Army outpost.
—Jason Motlagh, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2023
In one video, published on March 12, about 20 women appealed to Putin and Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, to remove their men from the firing line.
—Francesca Ebel, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'firing line.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near firing line
Cite this Entry
“Firing line.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/firing%20line. Accessed 24 Oct. 2024.
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