on line

1 of 2

phrase

: in or into operation

bringing the new factory on line

online

2 of 2

adjective

on·​line ˈȯn-ˈlīn  ˈän-ˈlīn 

: connected to, served by, or available through a system and especially a computer or telecommunications system (such as the Internet)

an online database

also : done while connected to such a system

online shopping

online games

online searching

online adverb

Examples of on line in a Sentence

Adjective

The city libraries are all online.

He likes to engage in online chats.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Ford faced a challenge from Koppie, who describes himself as a retired farmer and pilot in his online biography. — Gregory Royal Pratt, Chicago Tribune, 4 Nov. 2026

Fox and Sinensky co-wrote the show drawing on actual statements from the online discourse. — Greg Evans, Deadline, 3 Nov. 2026

The company plans to begin with categories such as bulky home goods and gradually add products from more online shops. — Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 3 Nov. 2026

Affected items were sold nationwide at Target, Walmart and coffee and home goods stores, as well as online at Bodum, Amazon and other online retailers. — Chiara Kim, PEOPLE, 3 Nov. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1950, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing on line

• massively multiplayer online game

Rhymes for on line

• affine
• airline
• align
• aline
• assign
• baseline
• beamline
• benign
• bloodline
• bovine
• brucine
• byline

Kids Definition

online

adjective

ˈȯn-ˈlīn, 

ˈän-

: relating to or connected to a computer or telecommunications system (as the Internet)

an online database

online adverb