1
as in tracing
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 summarizing
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of outlining
In outlining their case, authorities have not said how Talley ended up possessing the gun.
—
Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026
The motive remains unclear, though state media reported the man left documents behind at the courthouse outlining his grievances.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 28 Apr. 2026
The report outlining the state’s success comes amid a rollback in federal funding and support for climate issues.
—Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 27 Apr. 2026
That accounting was part of a Commission report published Wednesday outlining the EU’s strategy to navigate what the International Energy Agency recently called the biggest energy security threat in history.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2026
In March 2023, Renewcell partnered with the CTA — signing a letter of intent outlining an upcoming offtake agreement between the parties.
—Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 23 Apr. 2026
The Wu administration issued an internal memo last month outlining the city’s decision to freeze some spending and delay hiring amid a budget crunch.
—Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 22 Apr. 2026
But in a presentation outlining the changes, the government said exceptions could be made when deemed necessary for national security.
—CNN Money, 21 Apr. 2026
Functionally, though, Gemmill is outlining a series where everyone is expendable except Robby.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2026
Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026
The motive remains unclear, though state media reported the man left documents behind at the courthouse outlining his grievances.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 28 Apr. 2026
The report outlining the state’s success comes amid a rollback in federal funding and support for climate issues.
—Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 27 Apr. 2026
That accounting was part of a Commission report published Wednesday outlining the EU’s strategy to navigate what the International Energy Agency recently called the biggest energy security threat in history.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2026
In March 2023, Renewcell partnered with the CTA — signing a letter of intent outlining an upcoming offtake agreement between the parties.
—Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 23 Apr. 2026
The Wu administration issued an internal memo last month outlining the city’s decision to freeze some spending and delay hiring amid a budget crunch.
—Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 22 Apr. 2026
But in a presentation outlining the changes, the government said exceptions could be made when deemed necessary for national security.
—CNN Money, 21 Apr. 2026
Functionally, though, Gemmill is outlining a series where everyone is expendable except Robby.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outlining
Verb
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At the state dinner on Tuesday evening, the King reaffirmed the deep bonds between the US and UK, tracing their roots to World War II.—
Max Foster,
CNN Money,
1 May 2026
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This tool pinpoints the ancient latitude of any modern location, tracing its journey back to the peak of the supercontinent Pangaea.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Early generative AI tools accelerated discrete tasks—drafting text, summarizing documents, writing code, or answering customer questions.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Fortune,
29 Apr. 2026
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Although the potential for mistakes and biases in AI models remains a cause for concern, researchers say that summarizing and translating documents is actually an area where models generally excel.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Millions looked on as Britain's future king and queen wed on April 29, 2011, at Westminster Abbey in London, defining a new era for the monarchy.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
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The soft, sunny color is the perfect hue to transition into the warmer months, and Kristi Patterson, founder and principal designer at Grace Hill Design, says yellow is emerging as the defining color of the season.—
Maria Sabella,
Better Homes & Gardens,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Outlining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outlining. Accessed 5 May. 2026.
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