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

Consider how this gives a different perspective on the timeline. —Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 4 May 2025

Several of the original X-Men, like Patrick Stewart's Professor X and James Marsden's Cyclops, will also appear in the film, which suggests that yet another parallel universe will collide with the main Avengers timeline. —Eliana Dockterman, Time, 2 May 2025

Publisher Rockstar Games, a division of Take Two Interactive, explained in a statement to customers that the longer timeline will allow for a better final product. —Dade Hayes, Deadline, 2 May 2025

In Episode 11, the shifting timelines finally converge as the night of the gala comes into clear focus. —Claire Franken, TVLine, 2 May 2025

But that public promise didn’t prevent a strange incident in which the L.A. Department of Water and Power quietly seemed to back away from the ambitious 2035 timeline. —Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2025

There was no change to the timeline of completing the spin in the second half of 2026. —Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 1 May 2025

The modern-day timeline starts when the youngest, Jude (now a glamorous movie star), summons them to North Dakota for the weekend. —Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 1 May 2025

The bill passed by Florida's Senate on Wednesday would help condo owners facing rising costs to keep their homes, giving condo associations a more forgiving timeline to meet the new safety requirements. —Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1907, in the meaning defined at sense 1