through line

noun

variants or throughline

ˈthrü-ˌlīn 

or less commonly through-line

: a common or consistent element or theme shared by items in a series or by parts of a whole

But Kent's latest nonetheless reveals a fascinating through line in her work, which centers on, as she puts it, "disrespect for the feminine"—and the inciting power of female rage.

—Rachel Handler

Vang was born in a refugee camp in Thailand, and came to the United States in the late 1980s. For him and his family, food was the throughline keeping them connected to their culture, wherever they were.

—Sharyn Jackson

Perverse moments like these are a throughline in Decker's work. The Texas native specializes in "bad" desires—awkward wants that tend to go unexpressed, or which otherwise seem too compromising to confess even to oneself.

—K. Austin Collins

Unlike Tokyo's great shopping thoroughfares, which have a certain logical through-line (if not aesthetic, at least socioeconomic), Osaka's arcades are mismatched, high-low jumbles of retail diversions.

—Simon Dumenco

Examples of through line in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Groups from each province strut through lines of waiting onlookers brandishing cell phones to capture the spectacle. —Matt Dutile, Travel + Leisure, 21 June 2025

The parade will have the Blue Fairy as a through line and guiding light, and the final float will feature Mickey and Minnie Mouse. —Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 June 2025

There’s a through line to your work, but Reality Show is different from Home Videos or Sermon on the Mount. —Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 17 June 2025

And while each panel covered a different domain, a clear through line emerged: women deserve personalized, proactive care that sees and serves them fully—brain, body and beyond. —Emily Cegielski, Flow Space, 14 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1936, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for through line

• affine
• airline
• align
• aline
• assign
• baseline
• beamline
• benign
• bloodline
• bovine
• byline
• canine