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

The highly ambitious Artemis timeline anticipates a crewed landing in late 2027 or early 2028. —Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025

Since the series continued well beyond the book’s timeline, the gap narrows with the next adaptation. —Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 9 June 2025

Talk about training opportunities, or suggest a more reasonable timeline for performance reviews. —Sho Dewan, Forbes.com, 9 June 2025

That crucial benefit has long been an advantage for Apple, giving it more freedom to develop exclusive features tailored for its products on its own timeline rather than coordinating with partners. —Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 8 June 2025

The governor’s office did not respond to a request for comment on that timeline. —Nick Coltrain, Denver Post, 7 June 2025

The timeline is important to both the prosecution and the defense, as authorities have stated that Murdaugh visited his mother to create an alibi for his whereabouts the night of the murders. —Julie Tremaine, People.com, 7 June 2025

The Eagles have formed a bit of a youth movement recently, but Hendrickson's timeline matches a squad that's looking to compete for a title now. —Justin Grasso, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 June 2025

In software development, AI can function like an outsourced team, accelerating coding efforts and reducing development timelines. —Edouard Viot, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1907, in the meaning defined at sense 1