Meaning & use
lineup or line-up
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Meanings
nouncountable
A group of people or things arranged in a line, or the list of players in a team.
Grammar: Often used with 'the' or a possessive: the starting lineup, our lineup.
Patterns
- the lineup for something
- a lineup of something
The coach announced the starting lineup for tonight's game.
There was a long lineup outside the concert hall.
The festival has a great lineup of bands this year.
nouncountablelaw
A group of suspects shown to a witness to identify a criminal.
Grammar: Usually singular with 'a' or 'the': a police lineup.
Patterns
- in a lineup
- police lineup
The witness picked the suspect out of a lineup.
He was asked to stand in a lineup at the police station.
Word forms
| plural | lineups |
|---|
Common combinations
- starting lineup
- The team's starting lineup includes two new players.
- announce the lineup
- The organizers will announce the lineup next week.
- a lineup of speakers
- The conference has an impressive lineup of speakers.
- police lineup
- The suspect was identified in a police lineup.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- line up verb
- To arrange people or things in a line, or to stand in a line.
Commonly confused: lineup or line-up or line up?
lineup or line-up vs line up
As a verb, it is two words: 'Please line up here.' The noun is one word or hyphenated: 'the lineup' or 'the line-up'.
Practice
Which sentence uses the noun 'lineup' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The noun 'lineup' is a thing, so it fits in 'The lineup for the concert was amazing.' The other options use 'lineup' as a verb, but the verb is two words: 'line up'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “lineup or line-up”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.