1
as in traces
to draw or make apparent the outline of
she carefully outlined the tree before she started drawing in the leaves
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in summarizes
to make into a short statement of the main points (as of a report)
outlined the important points in the introduction
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in contours
a line that traces the outer limits of an object or surface
place your hand on the paper and draw an outline around it
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in summaries
a short statement of the main points
a printed outline of the lecture has been made available for all attendees
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of outlines
Sportico Staff, Sportico.com, 24 Oct. 2025
The lawsuit outlines all the medical prescriptions Lau provided to all 21 minors.
—Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
Wickersham said the incident outlines the dangers law enforcement officers face.
—Christina Hall, Freep.com, 23 Oct. 2025
The framework for permissible banking hinges on a 2014 guidance document from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), which outlines eight federal enforcement priorities that banks must help uphold.
—Peter Su, Rolling Stone, 20 Oct. 2025
The event marked McCarty’s first state of the city, a formal annual address by a city leader that typically summarizes recent achievements and outlines future plans.
—Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 20 Oct. 2025
That outlines the mighty wings of Pegasus.
—Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 19 Oct. 2025
That right is part of the 1923 compact that outlines how the two states share the South Platte's water.
—Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 15 Oct. 2025
District spokesperson Elmo Lugo said only that the Florida Department of Education’s guidance, as shared publicly by Kamoutsas, outlines how districts should proceed.
—Miami Herald, 14 Oct. 2025
PC Magazine, 20 Oct. 2025
Generally, if an area within a national park normally closes down outside of regular business hours when a shutdown is not in effect, that area will stay closed for the duration of the shutdown, the DOI plan outlines.
—Amaris Encinas, USA Today, 9 Oct. 2025
The story by outlines how Citic Telecom CPC company, through its subsidiaries, owns and operates three Baltic Sea cables that carry information from private individuals, companies, and authorities.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Johnson is also weighing whether to keep his members out of Washington, further putting the onus on the Senate to accept his spending outlines without getting into the grit of health care coverage.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 30 Sep. 2025
This is what passes as development these days, and what comes out of the Chad Powers process is mostly lousy, a corporate exercise in content alchemy that plays like a coloring book where the outlines are already drawn.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2025
The Outline David is renowned for creating airtight outlines that form the scaffolding around each scene, episode, and season.
—Thr Staff, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2025
Behind him stretched the outlines of what will soon be a massive data center complex in the west-central part of the state, where heavy wind often meets extreme heat.
—Mackenzie Sigalos, CNBC, 24 Sep. 2025
Professional development organizations are generating outlines and content drafts for SMEs to edit rather than asking them to create the content from a blank page, which represents a significant departure in practice.
—Tracy King, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
This announcement follows the recent launch of CSB’s Vision, which outlines the organization’s ambition to evolve into an integrated soccer hub in Canada.
—Sportico Staff, Sportico.com, 24 Oct. 2025
The lawsuit outlines all the medical prescriptions Lau provided to all 21 minors.
—Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
Wickersham said the incident outlines the dangers law enforcement officers face.
—Christina Hall, Freep.com, 23 Oct. 2025
The framework for permissible banking hinges on a 2014 guidance document from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), which outlines eight federal enforcement priorities that banks must help uphold.
—Peter Su, Rolling Stone, 20 Oct. 2025
The event marked McCarty’s first state of the city, a formal annual address by a city leader that typically summarizes recent achievements and outlines future plans.
—Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 20 Oct. 2025
That outlines the mighty wings of Pegasus.
—Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 19 Oct. 2025
That right is part of the 1923 compact that outlines how the two states share the South Platte's water.
—Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 15 Oct. 2025
District spokesperson Elmo Lugo said only that the Florida Department of Education’s guidance, as shared publicly by Kamoutsas, outlines how districts should proceed.
—Miami Herald, 14 Oct. 2025
Noun
Slides can generate presentation outlines, create slides, and design professional graphics on demand.
—PC Magazine, 20 Oct. 2025
Generally, if an area within a national park normally closes down outside of regular business hours when a shutdown is not in effect, that area will stay closed for the duration of the shutdown, the DOI plan outlines.
—Amaris Encinas, USA Today, 9 Oct. 2025
The story by outlines how Citic Telecom CPC company, through its subsidiaries, owns and operates three Baltic Sea cables that carry information from private individuals, companies, and authorities.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Johnson is also weighing whether to keep his members out of Washington, further putting the onus on the Senate to accept his spending outlines without getting into the grit of health care coverage.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 30 Sep. 2025
This is what passes as development these days, and what comes out of the Chad Powers process is mostly lousy, a corporate exercise in content alchemy that plays like a coloring book where the outlines are already drawn.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2025
The Outline David is renowned for creating airtight outlines that form the scaffolding around each scene, episode, and season.
—Thr Staff, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2025
Behind him stretched the outlines of what will soon be a massive data center complex in the west-central part of the state, where heavy wind often meets extreme heat.
—Mackenzie Sigalos, CNBC, 24 Sep. 2025
Professional development organizations are generating outlines and content drafts for SMEs to edit rather than asking them to create the content from a blank page, which represents a significant departure in practice.
—Tracy King, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outlines
Verb
-
The Mineral Belt Trail traces old mining routes and railroad beds, passing historic sites, rivers, and wetlands.—
Karthika Gupta,
Travel + Leisure,
27 Oct. 2025
-
The problem traces back to Ghana and the Ivory Coast, which together produce 60% of the world’s cocoa and have been slammed by poor harvests due to climate change.—
Ramishah Maruf,
CNN Money,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Provide a narrative that summarizes any changes in revenue, expense reductions and board notices to monitor current financial status in the district.—
Grace Tucker,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
23 Oct. 2025
-
The event marked McCarty’s first state of the city, a formal annual address by a city leader that typically summarizes recent achievements and outlines future plans.—
Mathew Miranda,
Sacbee.com,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Chegg also sued Google in February, arguing that AI summaries of search results have hurt its traffic and sales.—
Annie Palmer,
CNBC,
28 Oct. 2025
-
The summaries below were drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division.—
Real-Time News team,
Miami Herald,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The fine-structure constant, known as the Sommerfeld or alpha, is a dimensionless physical constant that defines how light interacts with matter.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Jackson Hole, Wyoming A rugged and untamed spirit defines Jackson Hole, a resort that has long earned its reputation as a mecca for expert skiers.—
Charles Curkin,
Vogue,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
But who are the actors who make these figures so frighteningly iconic?—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Reportedly, the company intends to reuse the fundamental robotic core — which houses the complex multimodal interaction and motion-control technology — to create a diverse range of new figures.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
These stake-pushing devices fit on top of a tent stake (there are loads of designs to fit different shapes and sizes) to protect your hand or shoe while driving the stake, or provide a flat surface upon which to hammer.—
Zoe Gates,
Outside,
28 Oct. 2025
-
The Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area is a sandstone headland carved by ocean waves, making for unique coloring, shapes, and textures.—
Molly Allen,
Travel + Leisure,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
There were those iconic hourglass silhouettes and va-va-voom corsets, but also pin sharp pants and couture-level draping, and some quite fabulous feather and jewel moments.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
26 Oct. 2025
-
Set against a backdrop of ivory and sand tones, the elegant furnishings employ elevated silhouettes and textured fabrics, while the cobalt blue chef’s kitchen brings an unexpected vibrancy to the open-living layout.—
Gabriela Ulloa,
Architectural Digest,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Outlines.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outlines. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share