assembly-line

1 of 2

adjective

as·​sem·​bly-line ə-ˈsem-blē-ˌlīn How to pronounce assembly-line (audio)
: made by or as if by an assembly line
especially : lacking originality or creativity
bored by the novel's assembly-line plot

assembly line

2 of 2

noun

1
: an arrangement of machines, equipment, and workers in which work passes from operation to operation in direct line until the product is assembled
2
: a process for turning out a finished product in a mechanically efficient manner
academic assembly lines

Examples of assembly-line in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
Magy showed Axios how the drones are made in a matter of hours, how finished sections snap together by hand and the assembly-line guts of xCell, the company's air-liftable containers. Colin Demarest, Axios, 12 Feb. 2025 The discovery of electrons, aka electricity, was the major driving force of the second industrial revolution, leading to more efficient mass-production techniques in the form of assembly-line production and the rise of the steel, automobile, and telecommunications industries. Sarwant Singh, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024
Noun
To get around this as well as speed up production, Core Power plans to use Generation 4 reactor design combined with conventional modular shipbuilding methods to crank out floating nuclear plants on an assembly line basis. David Szondy, New Atlas, 20 Feb. 2025 At the height of the superhero boom a few years ago, Disney pushed its Marvel assembly lines to run faster and faster. Brooks Barnes, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for assembly-line

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1925, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1914, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of assembly-line was in 1914

Browse Nearby Words

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Cite this Entry

“Assembly-line.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assembly-line. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

assembly line

noun
: an arrangement of machines, equipment, and workers in which work passes from operation to operation in direct line until the product is assembled

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