story line

Definition of story line

: the plot of a story or drama

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Examples of story line in a Sentence

the story line is clumsily interrupted several times to provide some much-needed background information

Recent Examples on the Web The elevator pitch: Think Mass Effect’s branching story lines mixed with a jankier version of Dark Souls combat. — Washington Post, "‘The Witcher’ is the biggest TV show in the world. Here’s how to get more Geralt of Rivia.," 6 Jan. 2020 Brady, without a contract for next season, has typically downplayed the story line. — Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY, "NFL wild-card weekend: Is Tom Brady playing in his final game with the Patriots?," 6 Jan. 2020 Rivalry gets a boost This game featured several fascinating story lines. — Jeff Seidel, Detroit Free Press, "Thank goodness for Michigan State vs. Michigan basketball. It's the one good thing we have," 5 Jan. 2020 The pressure surrounding both clubs was immense, given the story lines. — Brett Martel, SFChronicle.com, "Saints recall tension, tears in Vikings’ last playoff visit," 4 Jan. 2020 Everything ends up in the same place, the latest example of bickering in do-nothing Washington—another story line that favors the burn-it-all-down GOP of the Trump era. — Alex Shephard, The New Republic, "How the GOP Bamboozled The New York Times’ Politics Desk," 17 Dec. 2019 The new attraction’s story line boils down to this: The First Order has captured folks who must escape the ship and go to the planet of Batuu, the base planet of the parks’ Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge areas. — Dewayne Bevil, orlandosentinel.com, "First look: Disney’s new ‘Star Wars’ ride spins into Hollywood Studios," 14 Nov. 2019 Develop a strong story line that is a compelling to potential buyers. — Gary Miller, The Denver Post, "Gary Miller: A new year and a new life by selling your business in 2020," 22 Dec. 2019 Judging from the many young theatergoers accompanied by their parents and grandparents at a recent performance, the plot that involves a single-item Christmas wish list is more than enough of a story line to keep us attentive. — Mike Giuliano, baltimoresun.com, "At Toby’s Dinner Theatre in Columbia, ‘A Christmas Story’ gives the audience what it wants," 5 Dec. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'story line.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

12 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Story line.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/story%20line. Accessed 21 January 2020.

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