fine line

[ fahyn lahyn ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

a small, barely perceptible difference:
There's often a fine line between helping and interfering.

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Word History and Origins

Origin of fine line¹

First recorded in 1845–50

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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

walk a fine line,
1. to act carefully in order to avoid the wrong outcome or maintain a delicate balance:
  Moderators walk a fine line between censorship and protecting their site's users.
  I had to walk a fine line between maintaining the peace and doing my job.
2. to act in a way that risks a disastrous outcome:
  You’re walking a fine line, buddy—if you don’t start watching your mouth, you’ll lose the respect of your kids.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

It was a fine line to walk, but in my years with the show, we caught hundreds of criminals and helped console thousands of suffering crime victims.

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He is trying to walk a fine line between defending Canada as a nation under threat from Trump, and taking action on a warming climate.

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He understands that stepping into a new environment means walking a fine line — showing respect for the locker room’s established leadership while still finding ways to contribute and emerge as a leader himself.

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Her subdued attitude was in character with the fine line she has walked throughout the tariff debate, trying to appease Trump without being seen as compromising Mexican sovereignty — a strategy that has generally won her praise abroad and at home.

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Finally, a movie that isn’t afraid to stick its neck out to reveal there is a very fine line between being a dog owner and a certified a**hole.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

fine leg finely

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