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

Joseph Kenny, New York Police Department chief of detectives, provided new details on this timeline Friday. —Rebekah Riess, CNN, 7 Dec. 2024

This is a good word for Bri, who is slowly losing it in her timeline. —Lincee Ray, EW.com, 7 Dec. 2024

In 2023, 54% of doctorate recipients said the timeline for completing their doctoral degree was delayed by the pandemic, similar to the 53% who reported a delay in 2022 but higher than the 39% who claimed one in 2021. —Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024

Because campaign donors were promised a certain timeline delivery, Georgotas and Romano wanted to start producing products ASAP in order to get orders out. —Rachel Brodsky, TIME, 5 Dec. 2024

Investigators would work backward to create a timeline, talking to Mr. Thompson’s friends, colleagues and family, scrutinizing his social media accounts and analyzing surveillance footage around Midtown, the police said. —Maria Cramer, New York Times, 5 Dec. 2024

More from Axios: Behind the Curtain: The Trump, Musk fusion Trump won, but Elon Musk may be the bigger winner Friendship timeline: Why Musk and Trump could drift apart Editor's note: This article has been updated with more details on Musk's donations and further context. —Rebecca Falconer, Axios, 5 Dec. 2024

Either way, here's a look at the full Sabrina Carpenter and Barry Keoghan relationship timeline. —Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 4 Dec. 2024

The series, which has been in development since 2020, spans two timelines in pre-independent India and contemporary Berlin and San Francisco. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 23 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1907, in the meaning defined at sense 1