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Glite Dictionary
on the line

on the line

230 4.8
At risk of being lost or harmed because of how something turns out
  • idiom
translation icon : en peligro
  • I mean, there was half a billion dollars worth of funding on the line.
  • put on the line
  • life on the line
  • job on the line

I put my house on the line, I'm all in.

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Examples

  • If a loan officer made a bad decision, his job was on the line.

    Academic text (2007)

  • My career is on the line.

    The Bricklayer (2023)

  • How much money would have to be on the line for a month?

  • Yeah, because I have too much pride on the line to go out there.

    Rich Roll

  • Like our, our dreams are on the line for this thing.

    The Iced Coffee Hour

  • And we're both knowing, you know, this is on the line and we're OK with it.

    True Geordie

  • I have to put my reputation on the line to save this project.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • Entire industries and institutions are on the line here, and banking is one of them.

    Blog text (2)

  • She and her fellow firefighters put their lives on the line every single day.

  • Your job is on the line if you don't meet the project deadline.

Synonyms

at stake
vson the line
355 3.5

A situation where something important may be lost or gained

is risk of being lost, harmed, or affected by the outcome
on thin ice
vson the line
  • Informal
20 6.2

In danger of getting into trouble for something you did

means general risk of loss or harm rather than risky behaviour
on a knife-edge
vson the line
1 7.8

A situation that could easily end well or badly

focuses on being at risk rather than on a finely balanced result
hanging by a thread
vson the line
  • Informal
7.3

In a very risky situation where failure can happen at any moment

implies risk but without near certain immediate collapse

Antonyms

safe
∞ 1.0

Not likely to be harmed or in danger

protected
1 2.0

Kept safe from harm or danger

How Risky

on the line
230 4.8
vulnerable
581 4.0
safe
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

on the line main

Morphology

on + the + line

The phrase uses a locative preposition 'on' plus 'line', so a learner might imagine a literal position, but the conventional meaning 'at risk' is a metaphorical extension (being positioned on a boundary where something can be lost). The connection is somewhat inferable from the idea of a precarious position or boundary but is not fully predictable without exposure, so it is partially transparent.

Etymology

The idiom on the line comes from the image of putting something, like a bet or a job, on a clear line between winning and losing. So when something is on the line, it is 'at risk' of being lost depending on the result.