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

Programs like Breakthrough Therapy designation, Accelerated Approval, expanded access and the use of surrogate endpoints exist precisely because traditional timelines are not always appropriate when lives are at stake. —Elise Esposito, Boston Herald, 29 May 2026

As the past timeline catches up to the wedding chaos in the present on the six-episode HBO/BBC drama, Ruben (Gadd) makes a startling admission to Niall (Jamie Bell) during a prison visit. —Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 29 May 2026

Venture clienting compresses that timeline dramatically. —Serguei Netessine, Fortune, 28 May 2026

Critically audit your timelines to include space for questioning, curiosity, and intentional exploration before every major decision or initiative. —Mary Hemphill, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026

Like a skylark periodically wheeling from its path, this story sometimes flies into other timelines, past and future, here and around the world. —Literary Hub, 28 May 2026

Officials say the planning process will take time, and TPWD will share updates – including potential opening timelines – as work progresses. —Doug Myers, CBS News, 28 May 2026

This perpetual mandate provides the organization with a timeline for projects divorced from elections or the political developments in any member country. —Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 28 May 2026

There's no stated timeline for either of those landmark flights, though at least one of them will have to occur before late 2028 to keep Artemis 4 on schedule. —Mike Wall, Space.com, 28 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1907, in the meaning defined at sense 1b