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

For the full timeline, check out the 2025 WNBA postseason schedule (and channel guide) here. —Erin Lassner, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2025

Setting clear expectations around rent, chores or timelines for independence can help shift dynamics. —Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025

Editing video timelines, working across spreadsheets, or scrolling through dense code all feel more fluid. —Matt Emma, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025

Told in two timelines, Letters to Kafka explores her role as an active resistance fighter in Czechoslovakia after the Nazis annexed the country in 1938, and her life in Vienna from 1918 to 1925, forging her own path separate from her husband, and Kafka. —Christine Estima september 12, Literary Hub, 12 Sep. 2025

Deeper in the cross-examination, the defendant said Bangs had jumped forward in the timeline. —Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Sep. 2025

The Legislature and Newsom directed the rail authority to focus on the Central Valley as the initial operating segment in 2019 as the costs and timelines swelled for the full project between San Francisco and Los Angeles. —Kate Talerico, Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2025

These types of events are crucial to help people deal with those long timelines and absorb those failures. —Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Sep. 2025

According to a timeline from the Judicial Branch, Dahle’s case was transferred to a new judge, Dane Watkins, who oversaw mediation between the prosecution and defense in May. —Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 12 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1907, in the meaning defined at sense 1