line noun (WORDS) B1 [ C ] a row of words that form part of a text: We could get more lines on the page if we reduced the type size. The computer screen displays 80 characters per line. [ C usually plural ] the words that an actor speaks when performing in a film, play, etc.: I only had two lines in the whole play.

A line is a unit of language into which a poem or play is divided. The use of a line operates on principles which are distinct from and not necessarily coincident with grammatical structures, such as the sentence or single clauses in sentences.