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international date line
noun
: an arbitrary line approximately along the 180th meridian designated as the place where each calendar day begins
Examples of international date line in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In Australia, near the edge of the international date line, matches are things to be watched at 3:15 A.M. or 4:45 A.M.
—Naaman Zhou, The New Yorker, 22 Nov. 2022
Only in Hawaii and Midway did the vagaries of the international date line place the event on December 7.
—Daniel Immerwahr, The Atlantic, 4 Apr. 2022
The position of the international date line meant hitting a ball into right field was hitting it into the next day.
—Washington Post, 30 Apr. 2022
Several hours before the attack on Pearl Harbor, which lay across the international date line, the Japanese landed on the beaches of northeastern Malaya and began a rapid advance toward Singapore.
—Richard Collett, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Mar. 2022
The volcano is located about 40 miles north of Tonga’s main island of Tongatapu near the international date line.
—Washington Post, 15 Jan. 2022
Some maps blow continents way out of proportion; others misleadingly split the world in half at the international date line and put Hawaii on one side and Japan on the other, as if the two islands aren't only half an ocean apart.
—Rasha Aridi, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Jan. 2022
Because of where the international date line sits, countries in Asia and the Pacific region are among the first to usher in each new year.
—Nick Perry, chicagotribune.com, 31 Dec. 2021
This was the period when the international date line was established and when time zones were instituted.
—Joe Pinsker, The Atlantic, 16 Nov. 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'international date line.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1875, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of international date line was
in 1875
Dictionary Entries Near international date line
Cite this Entry
“International date line.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/international%20date%20line. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
Kids Definition
international date line
noun
: an imaginary line along the 180th meridian named as the place where each calendar day begins
More from Merriam-Webster on international date line
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about international date line
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