Beeline Definition & Meaning

American

British

Idioms

Etymology

Examples

Synonyms beeline American [bee-lahyn] / ˈbiˌlaɪn /

noun

1. a direct route traveled quickly (usually in the phrasemake a beeline for ).

   The minute he came home he made a beeline for the refrigerator.

beeline British / ˈbiːˌlaɪn /

noun

1. the most direct route between two places (esp in the phrase make a beeline for )

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 beeline Idioms

1. see make a beeline for.

Etymology

Origin of beeline

An Americanism dating back to 1820–30; bee 1 + line 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

There was dead silence until—boom!—a huge thunderbolt clattered overhead and the whole kit and caboodle made a beeline out of there.

From Literature

Then she makes a beeline for a gaggle of giggling children and expectant women, most in flowing black cloaks.

From BBC

And now among the western leaders making a beeline for Beijing is Sir Keir Starmer, the first British prime minister to visit China in eight years.

From BBC

He made a beeline to the inner lab where Dr. Achebe and Dr. Carroll had done all his tests.

From Literature

He soon finds one, and makes a beeline towards it.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.