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

But early voting for it was slated to start March 6, meaning Democrats would have to get a favorable court ruling within two weeks to stick with that timeline. —Arkansas Online, 21 Feb. 2026

No official timeline has been given for when any additional disclosures or speeches might occur. —Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 20 Feb. 2026

Even if courts ultimately rule refunds are required, importers betting on a cash infusion from tariff refunds should be aware there’s no set timeline and any rush for refunds could overwhelm the system and likely lead to long delays. —Lori Ann Larocco, CNBC, 20 Feb. 2026

This mystery thriller anthology series tells different compelling stories across its two-season run, each one structured around timelines that slowly reveal what really happened. —Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 20 Feb. 2026

See the full timeline of his dealings with Epstein — and the royal fallout. —Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 20 Feb. 2026

Board President Carol Kats asked Wednesday if there was a public timeline for if and when the technical issues would be rectified, but was told that there wasn’t. —Evy Lewis, Chicago Tribune, 20 Feb. 2026

But no timeline was given, and reconstruction has yet to begin. —Wafaa Shurafa, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026

On Thursday, the board reviewed a presentation from Arlington ISD Chief Operations Officer Michael Hill, who updated them on the timeline of the closure so far. —Emily Holshouser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1907, in the meaning defined at sense 1b