noun · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
US:/ˈhɛɹˌlaɪn/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:HH EH1 R L AY2 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The line along one's forehead where hair starts growing.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
It's just a receding hairline — it's not like you're going bald.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A very thin line in writing, drawing, or typography.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
A very thin fissure.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively
Examples
While inspecting the new house, we found a few hairlines in one of the walls.
There was a hairline crack in the airplane's wing.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
A fishing line made from hair.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
the natural margin formed by hair on the head
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: boundary, bound, bounds
6
noun
Meaning 6
a very thin line
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: line
Narrower terms: hair stroke
History
Etymology
From hair + line.
Across languages
Translations
15 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Chinese Mandarin:
髮際線 /发际线
(fàjìxiàn)
— line along one's forehead where hair starts growing
Finnish:
hiusraja
— line along one's forehead where hair starts growing
Hungarian:
hajvonal
— line along one's forehead where hair starts growing
Norwegian Bokmål:
hårfeste
— line along one's forehead where hair starts growing
Norwegian Nynorsk:
hårfeste
— line along one's forehead where hair starts growing
Sicilian:
scrima
— line along one's forehead where hair starts growing
Spanish:
línea capilar
— line along one's forehead where hair starts growing
Spanish:
nacimiento piloso
— line along one's forehead where hair starts growing
Turkish:
saç çizgisi
— line along one's forehead where hair starts growing