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

The series sticks with the timeline of Muschietti's movies rather than King's book, meaning the original Losers Club encounter with It takes place in 1989 rather than 1958, and the final battle in 2016 rather than 1985. —Megan McCluskey, Time, 27 Oct. 2025

Lastly, any timeline for Apple’s AI initiative is crucial to the longer-term story. —Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 26 Oct. 2025

On October 7, the first day of investigators’ three-day timeline, the young girl was spotted in surveillance photos wearing what appeared to be a wig to disguise her natural hair, as well as a hooded sweatshirt with the hood pulled over her head, authorities said. —Michelle Watson, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2025

The timeline established by police determined that the defendant arrived at the parking lot, shot the victim, and drove away within a 15-minute span. —Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 26 Oct. 2025

John Carpenter's flagship horror film has spawned several timelines. —Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Oct. 2025

The Lionsgate Movies in Chronological Order Leatherface The third timeline began with 2013’s Texas Chainsaw 3D, but chronologically, that movie comes third. —Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025

Is there a timeline, a regulatory environment, in which the internet does not turn into a highly efficient manufacturer of niche suicide cults? —Daniel Kolitz, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025

Therefore, the export control could create a significant and immediate supply challenge for the US tank’s development timeline. —Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1907, in the meaning defined at sense 1