on the line

In danger of being lost or seriously harmed.

• My job is on the line.
• They put their savings on the line for the business.
• With lives on the line, every decision mattered.

How to use it: put something on the line (She put her career on the line to expose the fraud.)

Similar words: at risk, at stake

Opposites: safe

Common phrases: everything on the line, put on the line

Connected by telephone and able to speak or listen.

• Please stay on the line.
• There is a customer on the line for you.
• Were you still on the line when the call ended?

How to use it: have someone on the line (I have your brother on the line.)

Similar words: on the phone

Common phrases: stay on the line, someone on the line

Touching a marked boundary on a sports field or court, often counting as inside the playing area.

• The ball landed on the line.
• Her foot was on the line when she served.
• The referee judged the shot on the line and allowed the point.

Similar words: in bounds

Opposites: out

Common phrases: ball on the line, land on the line

At the height of a viewer’s eyes, especially when a painting is displayed.

• The portrait hangs on the line.
• They placed her painting on the line in the exhibition.
• Pictures on the line were easier to see than those above them.

Similar words: at eye level

Common phrases: hung on the line, displayed on the line