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

Since last Wednesday both in-person and online ordering at the original location have seen a drop in sales of at least 20%. — Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2026

Shopping Habits Have Changed Consumers now compare nearly everything online, from airline tickets to appliances. — Connie Etemadi, Miami Herald, 24 June 2026

In Dublin and in later Irish protests outside asylum housing, far-right networks and online influencers used digital platforms to intensify grievances and spread anti-migrant views. — Donathan L. Brown, The Conversation, 24 June 2026

While official details of the participating humanoid robots remain limited, videos circulating online suggest models from Booster Robotics and Unitree Robotics taking part in the challenge. — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 24 June 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