VocabauraVOCABAURA

outline

noun · verb

Simple meaning

A general description of some subject.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

owtlyn

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈaʊtlaɪn

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. A general description of some subject.

  2. A sketch or drawing in which objects are delineated in contours without shading.

  3. A schematic or preliminary plan

  4. A preliminary plan for a project.

  5. A statement summarizing the important points of a text.

  6. The line that appears to bound an object

verb

  1. Draw up an outline or sketch for something

  2. transitive

    To draw an outline of; to describe.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B1 · Intermediate
Frequency
Common
Typical Use
Everyday English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A sketch or drawing in which objects are delineated in contours without shading.

Used this way, outline is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use outline

  • “Sketch the outline of the book.”verb

Share your sentence

Write your own example sentence using “outline”. We review each one before it appears.

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

general outlinebrief outlinebroad outlinechapter outlinefollowing outlineoutline formrough outlineoutline map

Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

noun

Sense: general description of some subject

sketch

verb

Sense: draw up an outline or sketch for something

draftdelineatetraceadumbrateRare

Use This Word

See how this word sounds in a real sentence.

Ask Vocabaura

Understand the word your way.

What Does It Mean Here?

Words can change meaning depending on context.

Use it yourself

Knowing “outline” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.

Know the meaning? Practice using it in a real situation, free, no credits.

Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.