timeline

noun

time·​line ˈtīm-ˌlīn 

variants or time line

plural timelines or time lines

1

a

: an arrangement or occurrence (as of past events) in time : chronology

After interviewing the suspect, the wardens pieced together a timeline of events and gathered enough evidence to file appropriate charges …

—Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

b

: a visual representation of events associated with a particular period of time arranged chronologically along a line or in a linear format

The book also includes a timeline, showing which dinosaurs lived when and where, and how the Earth has changed over millions of years.

—The Children's Bookwatch

In her "Foundations of Western Civilization" course … Prof. Julia Gossard has her students create a timeline of the history of food …

—Thomas Keith

c

: a schedule of planned events, actions, etc. : timetable sense 2

With just under a year left until your nuptials, here's what's next on your wedding planning timeline.

—Sarah Hanlon

Giving the client a say in every step of the project could create a delay and throw off the timeline …

—Katie Bates

2

: a period of time especially with respect to some project or event : time frame

And what's the timeline for implementing these changes?

—Mark Sovel

The stakes are high, and the timeline is tight.

—Rio Longacre

… school districts can't open before Labor Day and must end by June 15. But to meet that compressed timeline … , districts have had to consider trade-offs.

—Donna St. George

3

: a stream of social media posts : feed sense 3e

Algorithmic timelines quietly replaced chronological ones, until our social-media feeds no longer took direction from us, but rather directed us where they wanted us to go.

—Yair Rosenberg

And if there's something funny … I make sure to Retweet so others can cleanse their timeline and enjoy.

—Andy Richardson

4

: a branch of a theoretical multiverse that exists in parallel with other branches

… the notion that we're surrounded by a multitude of parallel selves, one of which might be living in a better timeline than the one we're stuck in.

—S. I. Rosenbaum

—used especially in science fiction

… Dune: Awakening is set in an "alternate" timeline from the original Frank Herbert novels, where something has happened to change the course of history.

—Wes Fenlon

Examples of timeline in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Production timeline details and casting were not announced today. —Greg Evans, Deadline, 1 Nov. 2024

Beyond a near-term boost, the budget is unlikely to deliver significant growth benefits until after that five-year timeline, according to strategists at Deutsche Bank. —Jenni Reid, CNBC, 1 Nov. 2024

This not only stretched timelines but also inflated the budget considerably. —Tina Gada, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024

Murphy, however, warned fans that that isn’t necessarily the timeline. —Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 1 Nov. 2024

Pesto’s timeline is a little accelerated, likely because of the abundance of food available to him in captivity, per National Geographic. —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Nov. 2024

Five weeks later, residents are still navigating life post-hurricane amid an uncertain restoration timeline. —Solcyré Burga, TIME, 31 Oct. 2024

Musk admitted that his predictions often reflect optimism, acknowledging the uncertainties surrounding this timeline. —Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024

This moves follows in the footsteps of Netflix, which set the same timeline. —Caitlin Huston, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1907, in the meaning defined at sense 1