international date line
noun
: an arbitrary line approximately along the 180th meridian designated as the place where each calendar day begins
Examples of international date line in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In Australia, near the edge of the international date line, matches are things to be watched at 3:15 A.M. or 4:45 A.M.
—
Naaman Zhou, The New Yorker, 22 Nov. 2022
Only in Hawaii and Midway did the vagaries of the international date line place the event on December 7.
—Daniel Immerwahr, The Atlantic, 4 Apr. 2022
The position of the international date line meant hitting a ball into right field was hitting it into the next day.
—Washington Post, 30 Apr. 2022
Several hours before the attack on Pearl Harbor, which lay across the international date line, the Japanese landed on the beaches of northeastern Malaya and began a rapid advance toward Singapore.
—Richard Collett, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Mar. 2022
The volcano is located about 40 miles north of Tonga’s main island of Tongatapu near the international date line.
—Washington Post, 15 Jan. 2022
Some maps blow continents way out of proportion; others misleadingly split the world in half at the international date line and put Hawaii on one side and Japan on the other, as if the two islands aren't only half an ocean apart.
—Rasha Aridi, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Jan. 2022
Because of where the international date line sits, countries in Asia and the Pacific region are among the first to usher in each new year.
—Nick Perry, chicagotribune.com, 31 Dec. 2021
This was the period when the international date line was established and when time zones were instituted.
—Joe Pinsker, The Atlantic, 16 Nov. 2021
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.
Naaman Zhou, The New Yorker, 22 Nov. 2022
Only in Hawaii and Midway did the vagaries of the international date line place the event on December 7.
—Daniel Immerwahr, The Atlantic, 4 Apr. 2022
The position of the international date line meant hitting a ball into right field was hitting it into the next day.
—Washington Post, 30 Apr. 2022
Several hours before the attack on Pearl Harbor, which lay across the international date line, the Japanese landed on the beaches of northeastern Malaya and began a rapid advance toward Singapore.
—Richard Collett, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Mar. 2022
The volcano is located about 40 miles north of Tonga’s main island of Tongatapu near the international date line.
—Washington Post, 15 Jan. 2022
Some maps blow continents way out of proportion; others misleadingly split the world in half at the international date line and put Hawaii on one side and Japan on the other, as if the two islands aren't only half an ocean apart.
—Rasha Aridi, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Jan. 2022
Because of where the international date line sits, countries in Asia and the Pacific region are among the first to usher in each new year.
—Nick Perry, chicagotribune.com, 31 Dec. 2021
This was the period when the international date line was established and when time zones were instituted.
—Joe Pinsker, The Atlantic, 16 Nov. 2021
Cite this Entry
“International date line.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/international%20date%20line. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share