along the lines of

Idioms

Also, on the lines of. Roughly similar or in keeping with. For example, We told the architect we want a design along the lines of his own house but smaller, or Jane asked the caterer for a menu on the lines of the Morgans' wedding reception. This idiom uses line in the sense of “a direction or procedure,” a usage dating from the early 1600s.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“What I mean is more along the lines of keeping all your eggs in one basket. For security reasons, the board decided we should keep at least a few eggs in a basket no one knows about.”

From Literature

Garcia “said something along the lines of, ‘OK.

From Los Angeles Times

Passed by the National Assembly in December, the law focuses on the risks posed by generative AI, requiring human oversight and control along the lines of the European Union's landmark AI Act.

From Barron's

The goal isn’t impossible, he concluded: “But there are, to state the obvious, substantial challenges to building a constellation along the lines of what SpaceX laid out. At a bare minimum, one can safely conclude that a full-fledged build is not happening anytime soon, given the requisite operational maturity, supply-chain development and financial requirements.”

From MarketWatch

But he also kind of wanted to offer some profound big-brotherly advice along the lines of, Katherine, you idiot, it’s what you are that matters, not what people think you are.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023