as·sem·bly-line
ə-ˈsem-blē-ˌlīn 
: made by or as if by an assembly line
especially
: lacking originality or creativity
bored by the novel's assembly-line plot
1
: an arrangement of machines, equipment, and workers in which work passes from operation to operation in direct line until the product is assembled
2
: a process for turning out a finished product in a mechanically efficient manner
academic assembly lines
Examples of assembly-line in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Jonathan Bean, Fortune, 19 Feb. 2024
Howland enlisted the help of other women to make her cards, using an assembly-line approach.
—Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN, 13 Feb. 2024
Expensive new union contracts spark more interest in assembly-line automation for vehicles, but risks exist
Automakers are looking to an old friend to help offset rising labor costs: robots.
—Nora Eckert, WSJ, 15 Jan. 2024
This was not, in other words, an assembly-line approach to education meant to bring pupils to heel.
—Aaron R. Hanlon, The New Republic, 6 Sep. 2023
Just as creepy to me was the mural on the Farmer John slaughterhouse in Vernon, a bucolic panorama of happy piglets gamboling with kids and sleeping under shady trees — a gory dissonance to the daily assembly-line killing of thousands of pigs inside the abattoir.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2023
The sculptures, made since 2016, call attention to the clean lines, vivid hues and flawless surfaces of assembly-line products.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 14 July 2023
But those qualifications don’t quite change the assembly-line feeling of Ilsa leaving this franchise right when Grace enters it.
—Vulture, 13 July 2023
For decades, pilot development episodic television was done assembly-line fashion on a steadily predictable schedule.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 11 July 2023
Emilia David, The Verge, 18 Apr. 2024
Company engineers described how the Dreamliners are made on the assembly line and dismissed the whistleblower’s concerns.
—William Gavin, Quartz, 16 Apr. 2024
That’s what happened in Renton, Washington, on the 737 assembly line.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024
In fiction and non-, across genres and decades, these 50 titles compare Hollywood to an assembly line, a criminal enterprise, a high-seas expedition and much, much more — a penchant for shape-shifting that might explain its hold on the cultural imagination.
—Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
His father worked for Buick Motors, first on the assembly line and later in management.
—Michael S. Rosenwald, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
His father, John Sr., worked for the Buick division of General Motors Corp. for 43 years, rising from the assembly line to middle management.
—Bill McGraw, Detroit Free Press, 2 Apr. 2024
What emerged from that assembly line would forever better the automotive world.
—Sean Evans, Robb Report, 2 Apr. 2024
At its current burn rate, the company is likely to run out of cash before the first R2 even comes off the assembly line.
—Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 6 Mar. 2024
Adjective
His assembly-line production techniques transformed both manufacturing and American life, making automobile transportation affordable for most families.
—Jonathan Bean, Fortune, 19 Feb. 2024
Howland enlisted the help of other women to make her cards, using an assembly-line approach.
—Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN, 13 Feb. 2024
Expensive new union contracts spark more interest in assembly-line automation for vehicles, but risks exist
Automakers are looking to an old friend to help offset rising labor costs: robots.
—Nora Eckert, WSJ, 15 Jan. 2024
This was not, in other words, an assembly-line approach to education meant to bring pupils to heel.
—Aaron R. Hanlon, The New Republic, 6 Sep. 2023
Just as creepy to me was the mural on the Farmer John slaughterhouse in Vernon, a bucolic panorama of happy piglets gamboling with kids and sleeping under shady trees — a gory dissonance to the daily assembly-line killing of thousands of pigs inside the abattoir.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2023
The sculptures, made since 2016, call attention to the clean lines, vivid hues and flawless surfaces of assembly-line products.
—Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 14 July 2023
But those qualifications don’t quite change the assembly-line feeling of Ilsa leaving this franchise right when Grace enters it.
—Vulture, 13 July 2023
For decades, pilot development episodic television was done assembly-line fashion on a steadily predictable schedule.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 11 July 2023
Noun
And in a market saturated with assembly line lunch places that are always busy, that will be a problem.
—Emilia David, The Verge, 18 Apr. 2024
Company engineers described how the Dreamliners are made on the assembly line and dismissed the whistleblower’s concerns.
—William Gavin, Quartz, 16 Apr. 2024
That’s what happened in Renton, Washington, on the 737 assembly line.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024
In fiction and non-, across genres and decades, these 50 titles compare Hollywood to an assembly line, a criminal enterprise, a high-seas expedition and much, much more — a penchant for shape-shifting that might explain its hold on the cultural imagination.
—Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
His father worked for Buick Motors, first on the assembly line and later in management.
—Michael S. Rosenwald, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
His father, John Sr., worked for the Buick division of General Motors Corp. for 43 years, rising from the assembly line to middle management.
—Bill McGraw, Detroit Free Press, 2 Apr. 2024
What emerged from that assembly line would forever better the automotive world.
—Sean Evans, Robb Report, 2 Apr. 2024
At its current burn rate, the company is likely to run out of cash before the first R2 even comes off the assembly line.
—Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 6 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'assembly-line.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near assembly-line
Cite this Entry
“Assembly-line.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assembly-line. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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