line-up
line-up — phrasal verb
1. to stand one behind another or side by side in a row, usually because you are wa
to stand one behind another or side by side in a row, usually because you are waiting for something or want to enter a place.
Folake lined up outside the bakery before it opened to buy fresh bread.
line up + outside [place] + to [purpose]
The children lined up at the classroom door when the bell rang.
Fans had been lining up since early morning for concert tickets.
Nadia lined up with the other runners at the starting point of the race.
- queue up
more common in British English; same meaning
- stand in line
more common in American English; slightly less economical
文法句型
line up + for + [something]
line up + to + [infinitive]
用法筆記
Often used with a location ('outside', 'at') or purpose ('for', 'to'). This sense is intransitive — no direct object follows 'line up'.
常見錯誤
2. to place people or things side by side so that they sit straight in a row, often
to place people or things side by side so that they sit straight in a row, often for a particular purpose such as counting, inspecting, or taking a photograph.
Christopher lined up the toy soldiers on his bedroom shelf from tallest to shortest.
line + object + up + [prepositional phrase]
The teacher lined the students up in two rows before the fire drill.
separable: object between 'line' and 'up'
Eli lined up the chairs along the wall for the meeting.
Tunde lined up the wine glasses on the counter before the party started.
文法句型
line + object + up
line up + object
用法筆記
This is a separable phrasal verb. When the object is a pronoun, it MUST go between 'line' and 'up' ('line them up', NOT 'line up them'). When the object is a long noun phrase, it is more natural to place it after 'up'.
常見錯誤
3. to make arrangements for something to happen, or to find someone who will be ava
to make arrangements for something to happen, or to find someone who will be available to take part in an activity — for example, booking a musician for a concert or scheduling a meeting.
Felipe lined up a jazz band for the wedding reception next month.
Theo has three job interviews lined up for next week.
passive: have + something + lined up
Vivek lined up a few friends to help him move into his new apartment on Saturday.
Lara lined up a babysitter for Friday evening so she and Tunde could go to the cinema.
- cancel
the opposite of arranging an event
文法句型
have + something + lined up
line up + [event/activity/person]
line + something + up
用法筆記
Common in informal and business contexts. Frequently used in the passive structure 'have something lined up' (e.g. 'I have a meeting lined up'). The object can be an event, a person, or an activity.
常見錯誤
4. to move an object until it is in exactly the right position compared to another
to move an object until it is in exactly the right position compared to another object, so that they sit straight, match, or fit together correctly.
Folake lined up the edge of the wallpaper with the corner of the wall.
line up + object + with + [reference point]
Christopher lined the two holes up before putting the screw in.
separable structure with 'up' at end
The image on the screen was blurry, so Eli lined up the projector lens carefully.
Ilan lined up the two wooden planks before nailing them together.
- align
more formal; common in technical contexts
- straighten
focuses on removing crookedness, not relative positioning
- misalign
to put something out of correct position
文法句型
line up + object + with + [something]
line + object + up
用法筆記
Often used with 'with' to specify the reference object. This meaning is common in DIY, photography, construction, and mechanical contexts.