through line

noun

variants or throughline

ˈthrü-ˌlīn 

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

Vang 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

Perverse 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

Unlike 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

Examples of through line in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

That was a through line that meant a great deal to me. —Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2024

This attempt to coax a conventional romantic through line out of the madness doesn’t really work, partly because Reitman and co-writer Gil Kenan have otherwise done a fine job of making clear how unconventional this whole situation was. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2024

Postwar Italy too offers a through line, whether in the case of the mirror, rosewood floating shelf, and Gino Sarfatti sconces that compose the makeshift entry, or the twin Franco Albini armchairs that face off in the living room. —Sam Cochran, Architectural Digest, 4 Sep. 2024

The through line in the meeting was the death of Sam Sharpe Jr., who was shot and killed by Columbus, Ohio, police officers during the convention. —David Clarey, Journal Sentinel, 1 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1936, in the meaning defined above