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

Safi’s own versatility as a cook has been challenged on the PBS show, where contestants are forced to step out of their culinary comfort zones while maintaining a consistent through line that relates back to their identity — not to mention the time limits. —Olivia Petty, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 July 2025

Some previous company-wide publishing events had various characters as their emotional through line. —Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 16 July 2025

Blue and white palettes, pale woods, and woven textures are through lines in the firm’s work, and Travin favors timeless styles over current trends. —Dan Howarth, Architectural Digest, 7 July 2025

His class anxieties are a through line in the novel, as revealed in his constant conflict with Hooper, who is rapacious and sleazy. —Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 26 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