battle line
nounDefinition of battle line
1
: a line along which a battle is fought
2
: a line defining the positions of opposing groups in a conflict or controversy
—usually used in plural battle lines were drawn over economic policies
Examples of battle line in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The battle lines were three-sided before the December district court ruling. — Richard Wolf, USA TODAY, "Federal appeals court grills Democratic lawyers on whether ACA, or Obamacare, is constitutional," 9 July 2019 The battle lines, draining and drawn about an industry under scrutiny — and in some corners, under attack. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Column: Del Mar’s opening day brings heated debate, safe racing," 18 July 2019 But now, with wealthier buyers purchasing even larger parcels, the battle lines have shifted. — Julie Turkewitz, New York Times, "Who Gets to Own the West?," 22 June 2019 The battle lines were bright and clear—and incredibly porous. — Kevin Dettmar, The New Yorker, "Witnessing the Moon Landing in Ireland, at the Start of the Troubles," 20 July 2019 On the presidential-campaign trail, the battle lines were already clear. — David French, National Review, "In the Democratic Civil War, Root for Pelosi and Biden," 17 July 2019 Plus Democrats draw battle lines over health care in new campaign dust-up. — Petra Cahill, NBC News, "Trump and Democratic Congresswomen trade barbs, new asylum restrictions & Apollo 11: The Morning Rundown," 16 July 2019 Armour, who fired an 8-under-par 64 on Thursday at Detroit Golf Club, blamed his Big Ten bias for blurring one of college sports' clear battle lines. — Greg Levinsky, Detroit Free Press, "This PGA Tour golfer went to Ohio State. He rooted for Michigan in CWS," 27 June 2019 And the battle lines are also clearer, politically and in media. — Sarah Ellison, Washington Post, "MSNBC is both a news channel and face of the Resistance. How will that impact the Democratic primary debate?," 22 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'battle line.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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