along the line
30
3.4
- idiom
:
en algún momento
- Somewhere along the line, you had a crisis of faith.
- somewhere along the line
So do you think it's possible they already are more along the line along the evolutionary scale than other primates?
- So do you think it's possible they already are more along the line along the evolutionary scale than other primates?
- But somewhere along the line, he had what some people get.
- Now we know there was a there was a scrap yard involved somewhere along the line.
Examples
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I've missed things along the line, important things.
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Now somebody is going to have to give up something somewhere along the line.
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If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help.
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And we just walk along the line of things that are outside the reach of science currently.
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But somewhere along the line, he had what some people get.
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You are not as far along the line as you think you should be.
Blog text (4) -
And I'll bet somewhere along the line, you all did too.
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Stop and think about doing a campaign that is more along the lines of a test ad.
Blog text (25) -
Sure, any educated person will ask themselves questions along the line of "Will this work?"
Blog text (25) -
If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help.
Synonyms
24
4.6
At some point during a process or series of events
12
3.7
At a point in the middle, not at the start or end
Antonyms
How Far
- US
297
1.0
30
3.4
12
3.7
193
2.5
- Informal
52
6.6
Surface Forms
Morphology
The sense 'at some unspecified point during a process' is directly compositional from 'along' (throughout/progressing) + 'line' (a sequence or path), so the overall meaning follows naturally from the constituents; the definite article 'the' is functionally neutral. This pattern aligns with cognate English phrases like 'along the way' or 'down the line' and has cross-linguistic parallels, so an average B1 learner who knows the parts would likely infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
Along the line comes from the picture of moving along a straight line, like walking down a path or a timeline. As you pass points on that line, things happen or change, so the phrase means 'at some point during a process'.