through line
noun
variants
or throughline
or less commonly through-line
: a common or consistent element or theme shared by items in a series or by parts of a whole
But Kent's latest nonetheless reveals a fascinating through line in her work, which centers on, as she puts it, "disrespect for the feminine"—and the inciting power of female rage.—
Rachel Handler
Rachel HandlerVang was born in a refugee camp in Thailand, and came to the United States in the late 1980s. For him and his family, food was the throughline keeping them connected to their culture, wherever they were.—Sharyn Jackson
Sharyn JacksonPerverse moments like these are a throughline in Decker's work. The Texas native specializes in "bad" desires—awkward wants that tend to go unexpressed, or which otherwise seem too compromising to confess even to oneself.—K. Austin Collins
K. Austin CollinsUnlike Tokyo's great shopping thoroughfares, which have a certain logical through-line (if not aesthetic, at least socioeconomic), Osaka's arcades are mismatched, high-low jumbles of retail diversions.—Simon Dumenco
Simon DumencoExamples of through line in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
With calls for housing justice as well as a campaign to pass the Equal Rights Act — the social-justice roots of Pride were a through line amid the joyful celebration of diversity.
—Jireh Deng, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2024
Each of the six band members, including guitarist Tim Reynolds, drummer Carter Beauford, bassist Stefan Lessard, saxophonist Jeff Coffin, and trumpeter Rashawn Ross, took multiple turns ripping through lines to the crowd’s delight.
—Stefan Stevenson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 June 2024
Even as electrification is driving Ferrari into new and uncharted territory, the marque’s thrumming twelve cylinders continue to compose a lyrical through line of Maranello’s gran turismo history, which includes Enzo’s first 125 S that rolled from his factory in 1947.
—Lawrence Ulrich, Robb Report, 2 May 2024
But also one that has a through line in your story.
—Angela Watercutter, WIRED, 5 Apr. 2024
Excess is repugnant to Mr. David, and calling it out has been a through line in his work.
—Ruth La Ferla, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2024
And it's been a through line in all of his campaigns, and he's been pretty clear about some of the reasons why he's focused on this.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024
Indeed, there is an entire through line in his book of figures who employed prehistory to criticize colonialism, capitalism, modern warfare, and modernity more broadly.
—William Deresiewicz, The Atlantic, 2 Apr. 2024
From the 1st through the 25th, Mercury is retrograde in Aries, encouraging you to double back to the past in order to find the most direct through lines to efficiency and truth.
—Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Mar. 2024
Jireh Deng, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2024
Each of the six band members, including guitarist Tim Reynolds, drummer Carter Beauford, bassist Stefan Lessard, saxophonist Jeff Coffin, and trumpeter Rashawn Ross, took multiple turns ripping through lines to the crowd’s delight.
—Stefan Stevenson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 June 2024
Even as electrification is driving Ferrari into new and uncharted territory, the marque’s thrumming twelve cylinders continue to compose a lyrical through line of Maranello’s gran turismo history, which includes Enzo’s first 125 S that rolled from his factory in 1947.
—Lawrence Ulrich, Robb Report, 2 May 2024
But also one that has a through line in your story.
—Angela Watercutter, WIRED, 5 Apr. 2024
Excess is repugnant to Mr. David, and calling it out has been a through line in his work.
—Ruth La Ferla, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2024
And it's been a through line in all of his campaigns, and he's been pretty clear about some of the reasons why he's focused on this.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024
Indeed, there is an entire through line in his book of figures who employed prehistory to criticize colonialism, capitalism, modern warfare, and modernity more broadly.
—William Deresiewicz, The Atlantic, 2 Apr. 2024
From the 1st through the 25th, Mercury is retrograde in Aries, encouraging you to double back to the past in order to find the most direct through lines to efficiency and truth.
—Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'through line.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near through line
Cite this Entry
“Through line.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/through%20line. Accessed 12 Jun. 2024.
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