down the line

I. adverb (or adjective)

1. : to or toward the center of town : downtown

2. : all the way : fully, completely

are prepared to back the president down the line

II. phrasal

: in the future

going to be trouble down the line — Mimi Sheraton

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down the line

1. Of a shot in tennis, football, etc, travelling parallel to and close to the side of the court, pitch, etc

2. In the future (informal)

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Main Entry: ↑line

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along/down/the line phrase

at a stage during a process

all along/down/the line (=at every stage):

Our supporters have been magnificent all along the line.

somewhere along/down/the line (=at some stage):

Somewhere along the line vital information has been withheld.

further along/down/the line (=at a later stage):

The judge said compensation would be considered further down the line.

Thesaurus: during a particular period of time_synonym

Main entry: line

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down the line

informal : in the future

If you don't finish school, you'll regret it down the line.

We'll have to correct these problems further down the line.

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Main Entry: ↑line

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along/down the ˈline idiom

(informal) at some point during an activity or a process

•

Somewhere along the line a large amount of money went missing.

•

We'll make a decision on that further down the line.

Main entry: ↑line_idiom