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 timeline for rescheduling cannabis remains murky as Attorney General Pam Bondi has not made a public comment on the process. —Will Yakowicz, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026

Snow timeline in Massachusetts Up next, the snow. —Terry Eliasen, CBS News, 23 Jan. 2026

An adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s pioneering 1959 gothic horror novel, the two-timeline series follows a group of siblings who return to their haunted childhood home after their sister Nell (Victoria Pedretti) dies there under mysterious circumstances. —David Faris, TheWeek, 23 Jan. 2026

As hypersonic weapons compress decision timelines and expand polar attack vectors, Greenland’s strategic value increases. —Paul McCarthy, Boston Herald, 23 Jan. 2026

Fiona Marshall, president of biomedical research at Novartis, suggested that while AI could eventually shave five years off the average discovery timeline, human safety trials cannot be algorithmically bypassed. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 23 Jan. 2026

Winter storm planning timeline — Josh Kelly contributed to this report. —Katey Psencik, Austin American Statesman, 23 Jan. 2026

While timelines can vary, a standard review typically takes around 10 months, which means the pill could be on the market in early 2027. —Shiv Sudhakar, FOXNews.com, 23 Jan. 2026

Here is what the timeline of the winter storm could look like. —Brooke Muckerman, Memphis Commercial Appeal, 23 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1907, in the meaning defined at sense 1b