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

Market shifts, acquisitions, or board pressures can accelerate the timeline. —Julian Hayes Ii, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025

The timeline means that even if the brothers are deemed suitable for parole, their release could be delayed by up to five months. —Amanda Castro hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025

When could SpaceX launch Starship to Mars? Musk wants to send the first uncrewed Starship to Mars by the end of 2026 for a very critical reason: The timeline coincides with an orbital alignment around the sun that would shorten the journey between Earth and Mars. —Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 22 Aug. 2025

The timeline hopscotches back and forth between decades, stretching all the way back to the middle of the last century and covering events as recent as 2022. —Alison Herman, Variety, 22 Aug. 2025

But the builders say that pre-tournament timeline was never in the cards. —Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 21 Aug. 2025

Fujifilm's timeline for opening the Holly Springs site is in line with the industry average of between three and five years to start up a new plant, depending on the complexity, according to Gabriela de Almeida, managing director and partner at Boston Consulting Group. —Angelica Peebles, CNBC, 21 Aug. 2025

Here's a complete timeline of Millie Bobby Brown and Jake Bongiovi's relationship, with the most recent updates up top. —Glamour, 21 Aug. 2025

Moreover, what may be efficient at a small scale can become chaotic when teams grow, projects expand and timelines tighten. —Dan Galorath, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1907, in the meaning defined at sense 1