# outline

Pronunciation: say "OWT-lyn" /ˈaʊtlaɪn/

## Noun

1. The line or shape traced by the outer edges of a figure or object.
   - Simple: The shape you see around the edge of something.
   - _The outline of the old castle was barely visible at dusk._
   - _Designers traced the outline of the car before adding any detail._
2. A line drawn to mark the boundary or edge of an object or figure.
   - Simple: A line that shows the edge of an object or figure.
   - _The artist drew a thin outline before coloring the petals._
   - _A bold outline separated each country on the printed map._
3. A written statement that sets out the most important points of a text.
   - Simple: A short list of the main points in a piece of writing.
   - _Before the exam, he reviewed an outline of the entire textbook._
   - _The professor handed out an outline covering each lecture's main arguments._
4. A preliminary plan setting out the basic shape of a project.
   - Simple: A first, rough plan for a project.
   - _The manager presented an outline for the marketing campaign at the meeting._
   - _They sketched a rough outline of the project before hiring any staff._
7. A general description giving the broad features of a subject.
   - Simple: A short general description of a subject, without all the details.
   - _The introduction provides an outline of the country's economy._
   - _She offered a brief outline of the theory before the lecture began._
8. A sketch or drawing in which objects are shown by their contour lines, without shading.
   - Simple: A simple drawing that shows only the edges of things, with no shading.
   - _The artist's outline captured the figure with just a few clean lines._
   - _Early studies were done in outline, with shading left for a later stage._
9. In filmmaking, a prose version of a story that will be developed into a screenplay; it is normally fuller and richer in detail than a treatment.
   - Simple: A written story in plain prose that will later be turned into a movie script.
   - _The screenwriter submitted an outline running nearly forty pages._
   - _Producers reviewed the outline before commissioning a full screenplay._
10. A fishing line set in place and left unattended, fitted with many baited hooks along its length; a setline or trotline.
   - Simple: A long fishing line left in the water with many hooks on it.
   - _The fishermen stretched an outline across the channel and returned at dawn to collect their catch._
   - _Several catfish were hooked on the outline by the next morning._

## Verb

5. To give a brief summary of the main points of something.
   - Simple: To give the main points of something in a short way.
   - _The report outlines the key findings of the study._
   - _Could you outline the steps involved in the process?_
6. To draw the outer shape of something, or to describe it in broad terms.
   - Simple: To draw the edge of something, or to describe it in a general way.
   - _She outlined the proposed changes during the staff meeting._
   - _Architects outline their designs before construction begins._
11. To reduce a program's size by replacing repeated fragments of code with calls to a shared function.
   - Simple: To make a program smaller by turning repeated bits of code into shared functions.
   - _The optimizer outlines common instruction sequences to reduce binary size._
   - _Engineers can outline repeated routines when memory is tightly limited._

## Origin

Formed from 'out' plus 'line'.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/outline (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).