firing line

noun

1
: a line from which fire is delivered against a target
2
: the forefront of an activity
used especially in the phrase on the firing line

Examples of firing line in a Sentence

a brave soldier who was never far behind the firing line
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Tell a soldier's story New Zealand soldiers walking over a wooden bridge spanning the Ypres Canal heading for the firing line at the Western Front, c. 1917. Bob Hirshon, Discover Magazine, 2 Aug. 2024 The willingness of the four judges to challenge the status quo placed them directly in the political firing line. Nic Cheeseman, Foreign Affairs, 15 Nov. 2017 Fred fell off his horse, grabbed his .35 Magnum, and came charging up to the firing line like a Patton tank. Jack O'Connor, Outdoor Life, 2 May 2024 Anything that gets No. 1 netminder Alexandar Georgiev away from the crease and out of the firing line. Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 22 Apr. 2024 The memo, also quoted by CNN, noted that journalists whose roles can be performed by AI will be the first in future firing lines. Faustine Ngila, Quartz, 21 June 2023 Republicans, meanwhile, are afraid of Donald Trump and his supporters and want to stay out of the firing line of both. Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 16 June 2023 Getting to the entrance requires traversing open ground in the direct firing line of the Burma Army outpost. Jason Motlagh, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2023 In one video, published on March 12, about 20 women appealed to Putin and Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, to remove their men from the firing line. Francesca Ebel, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1881, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of firing line was in 1881

Dictionary Entries Near firing line

Cite this Entry

“Firing line.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/firing%20line. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

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