Meaning & use
beeline
Last updated
UK/ˈbiːlaɪn/
US/ˈbiːlaɪn/
Meaning
nounsingularinformal
The shortest, most direct path from one place to another, taken quickly without stopping.
Grammar: Almost always found in the fixed pattern make a beeline for something.
Patterns
- make a beeline for something
- make a beeline to someone
The kids made a beeline for the ice cream truck.
After the meeting, she made a beeline for the exit.
He made a beeline for the free snacks.
Word forms
| plural | beelines |
|---|
Common combinations
- make a beeline for
- Guests made a beeline for the buffet.
- head straight in a beeline
- The dog ran in a beeline to its owner.
- beeline for the door
- I made a beeline for the door as soon as the speech ended.
- beeline toward
- The toddler made a beeline toward the puddle.
- a beeline to
- He made a beeline to the front desk.
Synonyms and how they differ
- straight line
- Straight line is a neutral geometric phrase and lacks the sense of eager, hurried movement that beeline carries.
- shortcut
- Shortcut means a quicker route than the usual one, while beeline stresses going directly and eagerly to a goal.
- dash
- Dash is a quick run but does not imply a straight path to a specific target.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: beeline or bee line?
beeline vs bee line
Written as two words it is wrong in standard use; beeline is one word.
Practice
As soon as the doors opened, the shoppers made a ___ for the sale table.
Choose one answer.
Make a beeline for means to go directly and quickly toward. Detour is the opposite idea of an indirect path.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “beeline”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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