1
as in to trace
to draw or make apparent the outline of
she carefully outlined the tree before she started drawing in the leaves
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in to summarize
to make into a short statement of the main points (as of a report)
outlined the important points in the introduction
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in silhouette
a line that traces the outer limits of an object or surface
place your hand on the paper and draw an outline around it
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in summary
a short statement of the main points
a printed outline of the lecture has been made available for all attendees
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of outline
Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2025
The agreement outlined specific exclusions for how the funds could be spent — and not spent.
—Nick Penzenstadler, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025
Alex Ross, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
Rhodes in his Guiles getup has not been revealed, but according to ScreenRant, his costar, Andrew Schulz (who plays Dan Hibiki in the film), posted a tease of the character on his Instagram, snapping a pic of what appears to be the shadow outline of Guiles' flat-top helmet of hair.
—Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for outline
Verb
One study outlined the widespread distribution of electrical activity related to decision-making.
—Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2025
The agreement outlined specific exclusions for how the funds could be spent — and not spent.
—Nick Penzenstadler, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025
Noun
Ascending patterns elsewhere in the strings blur the outlines of that governing idea.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
Rhodes in his Guiles getup has not been revealed, but according to ScreenRant, his costar, Andrew Schulz (who plays Dan Hibiki in the film), posted a tease of the character on his Instagram, snapping a pic of what appears to be the shadow outline of Guiles' flat-top helmet of hair.
—Christopher Rudolph, PEOPLE, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for outline
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outline
Verb
-
The chaos can be traced back to Macron’s dramatic decision to call a snap poll last year.—
Saskya Vandoorne,
CNN Money,
9 Sep. 2025
-
The House bill would be eliminating an agency that’s officially been around since 1999 but can trace its roots all the way back to 1968.—
Bruce Y. Lee,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Regional Task Force on Homelessness releases monthly data summarizing the number of individuals losing a place to stay for the first time.—
Blake Nelson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Now, even lighthearted comments can be captured, summarized and circulated.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The collection includes the straight-leg Teddy in rigid and stretch fabrics; the ’90s inspired Gus with a relaxed and slouchy fit; the Jackson, a barrel-leg jean with a V-waist; the Kyle, a stretch flare; and the Leo, a straight-meets-barrel silhouette with a high rise.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
12 Sep. 2025
-
The rise of the bias cut was a silhouette on which Robbins wanted to focus, imbuing the fluid style with elements of luxury and glamour intrinsic to the aristocracy.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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That's the general summary of the argument insider Robert Murray of FanSided made on Monday, when suggesting that the slugger could ditch Philadelphia for one of his former clubs.—
Jackson Roberts,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Sep. 2025
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Both products can also provide summaries of text conversations in threads and channels.—
John Brandon,
PC Magazine,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Among them were countless era-defining releases that are still among the best movies ever made—of any genre—from the haunting Rebecca to the gripping Rear Window, and the ravishing Vertigo to the hair-raising Psycho.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
13 Sep. 2025
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Internally, the current workspace contained not only the visible text documents but also any custom words the user added to the dictionary and any additional tForth words defined in memory.—
Cameron Kaiser,
ArsTechnica,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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This is because the cream is enriched with two types of hyaluronic acid all while brightening, smoothing, and firming your delicate eye contour.—
Essence,
Essence,
5 Sep. 2025
-
The palette includes five buildable creams; one color corrector as well as two contour and two highlight shades to create dimension.—
Jackie Fields,
People.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Bowie had begun to sketch out a story and think of possible characters for The Spectator, which appeared to be a blend of fact and fiction.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Unclear, but if an episode mimics that Saturday Night Live sketch with Mikey Day and Ryan Gosling, that would be pleasantly self-aware.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Outline.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outline. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
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