dotted line
Americannoun
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a line on a contract or similar document for a party's signature.
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a line at which a sheet of paper is perforated or a piece of it is to be detached.
idioms
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sign on the dotted line, to agree fully to terms or conditions.
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signature on the dotted line, full agreement to terms and conditions.
noun
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a line of dots or dashes on a form or document
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to agree formally, esp by signing one's name on a document
Etymology
Origin of dotted line
First recorded in 1770–75
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.
Discovery board members who had fretted for weeks that they weren’t sure Ellison would sign on the dotted line, according to two people close to the auction who were not authorized to comment.
From Los Angeles Times
Others reading your story should know whether their financial adviser is a fiduciary or whether they’re receiving commissions before they sign on the dotted line.
From MarketWatch
“A curse is like a contract. Two parties sign on the dotted line. Neither one of them can change it. Unless!”
From Literature
"And I think he doesn't view the industrial action that the union has taken as an invitation to negotiate, but rather as an ultimatum to sign a dotted line that he doesn't want to sign."
From BBC
The singer got her way in court after a judge decided the evidence indicated the man, who founded 1-800-Flowers, was well enough to sign on the dotted line.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
