The word line has several common meanings:

1. A long, thin mark or stroke. You draw a line with your pencil to underline important words, or paint a straight line down the middle of a road. Artists use lines to create shapes and images. Lines can be straight, curved, thick, thin, dashed, or solid.
2. A row of people or things waiting for something. When students line up for lunch, they form a line. You might wait in line at the grocery store or amusement park. British people call this a queue.
3. A piece of rope, cord, or wire. A fishing line connects your rod to the hook. A clothesline holds wet laundry. Sailors use different types of lines to control their ships' sails.
4. A single sentence or phrase, especially in a script, poem, or song. Actors memorize their lines before a play. When you forget what to say during the school performance, you've forgotten your line. A famous line from a movie becomes something people quote and remember.
5. A boundary or limit. The finish line marks where a race ends. Crossing the line means going too far, like when a joke stops being funny and becomes mean. When something is out of line, it's inappropriate or unacceptable.