cross the line
The idiom "cross the line" is often used to describe actions that go beyond acceptable boundaries or rules.
Definition
B2General
(informal)To go beyond what is considered acceptable behavior or boundaries.
Example
- Yelling at your boss definitely crosses the line.
- His joke crossed the line and offended many people.
B1Sports
To finish a race.
Example
- She crossed the line first and won the gold medal.
B2Project Management
To achieve completion of something.
Example
- We finally crossed the line with the new software update.
C1Nautical
(technical)To cross the equator, as a vessel at sea.
Example
- The ship crossed the line and entered the Southern Hemisphere.
C1Cinematography
(technical)To film from the opposite side of an imaginary axis on set to view the actors from the opposite direction.
Example
- The director decided to cross the line to get a different perspective of the scene.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "cross the line":
crossing the linetoe the lineout of linedraw a line in the sandcut acrosson the linered linestep overcross the aislelay on the linekick over the tracescross the floorbattle linewalk the linefoul linecross someone's pathcross overrun acrossgo overboardcolor outside the linesgoal linewalk a straight linepolice lineenemy linedividing linecounty linegive someone lineline of fireover the fencepush the limitgreen lineend of the lineback linecross upcross outbaulk linefinish line