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

Real Madrid found a way to win Sunday despite being down one of the most captivating athletes in the world in Kylian Mbappe, who spent time in the hospital earlier this week and whose timeline for return is still up in the air. —Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 23 June 2025

Talk is cheap and timelines can be vague — but concerted action is what the U.S. and President Donald Trump, who's attending a NATO summit for the first time since 2019, will want to see. —Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 23 June 2025

But all smart campaigns need to align with a launch timeline, conversion goals, final stages. —Steve Baltin, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025

For such projects, L.A. County is expediting permitting timelines to speed up fire recovery. —Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 23 June 2025

If the operations have managed to destroy some of the highly enriched uranium, or all of the highly enriched uranium, and the centrifuge components, then the reconstitution timeline is likely to be longer. —Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 22 June 2025

And for those who love factoids and timelines, the exhibit is full of them — so much information packed into two small galleries. —Michael James Rocha, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 June 2025

In an alternate timeline, billionaire and investor Mark Cuban could have been Kamala Harris‘ vice presidential pick. —Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 22 June 2025

The highly ambitious Artemis timeline anticipates a crewed landing in late 2027 or early 2028. —Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1907, in the meaning defined at sense 1