Meanings
nounoutline (plural outlines)
plural outlines
- The outer shape of an object or figure.
From this point of vantage, we were able to gain an impression of the massive outlines of the main structure, and its intricate maze of girders.
1950 March, H. A. Vallance, “On Foot Across the Forth Bridge”, in Railway Magazine, page 149 - A sketch or drawing in which objects are delineated in contours without shading.
Painters, by their outlines, colours, lights, and shadows, represent the same in their pictures.
1695, C[harles] A[lphonse] du Fresnoy, translated by John Dryden, De Arte Graphica. The Art of Painting, […], London: […] J[ohn] Heptinstall for W. Rogers, […], →OCLC - A general description of some subject.
- A statement summarizing the important points of a text.
- A preliminary plan for a project.
the outline of a speech
- broadcastingA prose telling of a story intended to be turned into a screenplay; generally longer and more detailed than a treatment.
verboutline (third-person singular simple present outlines, present participle outlining, simple past and past participle outlined)
present singular third person outlines · participle present outlining · participle past outlined · past outlined
- transitiveTo draw an outline of; to describe.
1 more example
He stood transfixed before the unaccustomed view of London at night time, a vast panorama which reminded him […] of some wood engravings far off and magical, in a printshop in his childhood. They dated from the previous century and were coarsely printed on tinted paper, with tinsel outlining the design.
1963, Margery Allingham, “Foreword”, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC - transitiveTo summarize.
Wikipedia items featuring books usually outline them after giving their background.
1 more example
At her invitation he outlined for her the succeeding chapters with terse military accuracy ; and what she liked best and best understood was avoidance of that false modesty which condescends, turning technicality into pabulum.
1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter VIII, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC - transitivecomputingTo optimize for size by replacing repeated code fragments with function calls.
Synonyms: reverse inline
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA line marking the boundary of an object figure.
Similar
verbTo optimize for size by replacing repeated code fragments with function calls.
Similar
reverse inline
More synonyms by meaning
nouna sketchy summary of the main points of an argument or theory
verbdescribe roughly or briefly or give the main points or summary of
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Ancient Greek περιγραφή, περιγράφω
- περιγραφή (perigraphḗ)general description of some subject
- περιγράφω (perigráphō)to draw an outline of something
Arabic لَخَّصَ, اِخْتَصَرَ
- لَخَّصَ (laḵḵaṣa)to draw an outline of something
- اِخْتَصَرَ (iḵtaṣara)to draw an outline of something
Bulgarian очерта́ние, контур
- очерта́ние (očertánie)line marking the boundary of an object figure
- контур (kontur)line marking the boundary of an object figure
- скица (skica)sketch or drawing in which objects are delineated in contours without shading
- схема (shema)general description of some subject
- план (plan)preliminary plan of a project
- проект (proekt)preliminary plan of a project
- скицирам (skiciram)to draw an outline of something
- очертавам (očertavam)to summarize something
Catalan contorn, silueta
- contornline marking the boundary of an object figure
- siluetaouter shape of an object or figure
- esbóssketch or drawing in which objects are delineated in contours without shading
- visió generalgeneral description of some subject
- resumstatement summarizing the important points of a text
- esborranypreliminary plan of a project
- perfilarto draw an outline of something
- resumirto summarize something
Chinese Mandarin 輪廓 /轮廓, 輪廓 /轮廓
- 輪廓 /轮廓 (lúnkuò)outer shape of an object or figure
- 輪廓 /轮廓 (lúnkuò)sketch or drawing in which objects are delineated in contours without shading
Czech obrys
- obrysline marking the boundary of an object figure
Danish omrids, kontur
- omridsline marking the boundary of an object figure
- konturline marking the boundary of an object figure
Dutch omtrek
- omtrekouter shape of an object or figure
Esperanto konturo
- konturoouter shape of an object or figure
Finnish ääriviiva, ääriviiva
- ääriviivaline marking the boundary of an object figure
- ääriviivaouter shape of an object or figure
- ääriviivapiirrossketch or drawing in which objects are delineated in contours without shading
- yleiskuvausgeneral description of some subject
- yhteenvetostatement summarizing the important points of a text
- hahmotelmapreliminary plan of a project
- suuntaviivatpreliminary plan of a project
- juoni(film industry) a prose telling of a story intended to be turned into a screenplay
- hahmotellato draw an outline of something
- vetää yhteento summarize something
French contour, silhouette
- contourline marking the boundary of an object figure
- silhouetteouter shape of an object or figure
- esquissesketch or drawing in which objects are delineated in contours without shading
- aperçugeneral description of some subject
- résuméstatement summarizing the important points of a text
- ébauchepreliminary plan of a project
- synopsis(film industry) a prose telling of a story intended to be turned into a screenplay
- entourerto draw an outline of something
German Umriss, Kontur
- Umrissline marking the boundary of an object figure
- Konturline marking the boundary of an object figure
- Umrissouter shape of an object or figure
- Skizzesketch or drawing in which objects are delineated in contours without shading
- Skizzierungsketch or drawing in which objects are delineated in contours without shading
- Umrisszeichnungsketch or drawing in which objects are delineated in contours without shading
- Konturenzeichnungsketch or drawing in which objects are delineated in contours without shading
- Beschreibunggeneral description of some subject
- Zusammenfassungstatement summarizing the important points of a text
- Entwurfpreliminary plan of a project
- umreißento draw an outline of something
- zusammenfassento summarize something
Hebrew קו מתאר, תמצית
- קו מתארline marking the boundary of an object figure
- תמציתstatement summarizing the important points of a text
- מתארpreliminary plan of a project
- תוואיpreliminary plan of a project
- תֵּאֵר (teér)to summarize something
Hungarian körvonal, körvonal
- körvonalline marking the boundary of an object figure
- körvonalouter shape of an object or figure
- vázlatsketch or drawing in which objects are delineated in contours without shading
- körvonalpreliminary plan of a project
- körvonalazto draw an outline of something
- körvonalazto summarize something
Icelandic útlínur
- útlínurline marking the boundary of an object figure
Italian contorno, contorno
- contornoline marking the boundary of an object figure
- contornoouter shape of an object or figure
- sagomasketch or drawing in which objects are delineated in contours without shading
- descrizionegeneral description of some subject
- suntostatement summarizing the important points of a text
- bozzapreliminary plan of a project
- contornareto draw an outline of something
- delineareto draw an outline of something
- riassumereto summarize something
- illustrareto summarize something
Japanese 中抜き, 外形
- 中抜き (uwatsuki)line marking the boundary of an object figure
- 外形 (gaikei)outer shape of an object or figure
- 輪郭 (rinkaku)outer shape of an object or figure
- 輪郭描写 (rinkaku-byōsha)sketch or drawing in which objects are delineated in contours without shading
- 概略 (gairyaku)general description of some subject
- 概要 (gaiyō)general description of some subject
- 主旨 (shushi)statement summarizing the important points of a text
- 要旨 (yōshi)statement summarizing the important points of a text
- 概要 (gaiyō)preliminary plan of a project
- あらまし (aramashi)(film industry) a prose telling of a story intended to be turned into a screenplay
- 荒筋 (arasuji)(film industry) a prose telling of a story intended to be turned into a screenplay
- 粗筋 (arasuji)(film industry) a prose telling of a story intended to be turned into a screenplay
Latin adumbrātiō
- adumbrātiōline marking the boundary of an object figure
Māori hua, hua
- hualine marking the boundary of an object figure
- huaouter shape of an object or figure
- huasketch or drawing in which objects are delineated in contours without shading
- huahuato draw an outline of something
Persian شمای کلی
- شمای کلیgeneral description of some subject
Polish kontur, kontur
- konturouter shape of an object or figure
- kontursketch or drawing in which objects are delineated in contours without shading
- konspektstatement summarizing the important points of a text
- szkicpreliminary plan of a project
- zaryspreliminary plan of a project
- abryspreliminary plan of a project
- obrysowywaćto draw an outline of something
- obrysowaćto draw an outline of something
Portuguese contorno, contorno
- contornoline marking the boundary of an object figure
- contornoouter shape of an object or figure
- esboçosketch or drawing in which objects are delineated in contours without shading
- resumogeneral description of some subject
- resumostatement summarizing the important points of a text
- sinopsestatement summarizing the important points of a text
- esboçopreliminary plan of a project
Romanian contur, contur
- conturline marking the boundary of an object figure
- conturouter shape of an object or figure
- schițăsketch or drawing in which objects are delineated in contours without shading
Russian ко́нтур, очерта́ние
- ко́нтур (kóntur)line marking the boundary of an object figure
- очерта́ние (očertánije)line marking the boundary of an object figure
- ко́нтур (kóntur)outer shape of an object or figure
- очерта́ние (očertánije)outer shape of an object or figure
- набро́сок (nabrósok)sketch or drawing in which objects are delineated in contours without shading
- обрисо́вывать (obrisóvyvatʹ)to draw an outline of something
- обрисова́ть (obrisovátʹ)to draw an outline of something
- оче́рчивать (očérčivatʹ)to draw an outline of something
- очерти́ть (očertítʹ)to draw an outline of something
- опи́сывать (opísyvatʹ)to summarize something
- описа́ть (opisátʹ)to summarize something
Spanish contorno, contorno
- contornoline marking the boundary of an object figure
- contornoouter shape of an object or figure
- delineaciónsketch or drawing in which objects are delineated in contours without shading
- delineamentosketch or drawing in which objects are delineated in contours without shading
- delineamientosketch or drawing in which objects are delineated in contours without shading
- croquissketch or drawing in which objects are delineated in contours without shading
- esquemageneral description of some subject
- bocetogeneral description of some subject
- resumenstatement summarizing the important points of a text
- esquemastatement summarizing the important points of a text
- bocetostatement summarizing the important points of a text
- balotariostatement summarizing the important points of a text
- bocetearto summarize something
- abocetarto summarize something
- bocetarto summarize something
Swedish kontur, kantlinje
- konturline marking the boundary of an object figure
- kantlinjeline marking the boundary of an object figure
Tagalog balangkas, balangkas
- balangkasline marking the boundary of an object figure
- balangkasouter shape of an object or figure
- balangkassketch or drawing in which objects are delineated in contours without shading
- balangkasgeneral description of some subject
- balangkasstatement summarizing the important points of a text
- balangkaspreliminary plan of a project
Ukrainian обрисо́вувати, обрисува́ти
- обрисо́вувати (obrysóvuvaty)to draw an outline of something
- обрисува́ти (obrysuváty)to draw an outline of something
- окре́слювати (okrésljuvaty)to draw an outline of something
- окре́слити (okréslyty)to draw an outline of something
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
outline. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/outline
MLA
“outline.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/outline. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “outline,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/outline.
Source: outline on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.