Liner

'laɪnər

nounmedium📊CommonTransportation
3 meanings1 idiom/phrase3 questions

Definitions

3 meanings
1

A large ship, especially one used for carrying passengers.

'laɪnər

nounneutralmedium
Transportation

A large passenger ship.

The majestic liner left the harbor, its horn echoing across the water.

💡 Simply: Imagine a super fancy cruise ship, like the Titanic! A liner is a big boat that carries people on long trips, often across the ocean. They're like floating hotels!

👶 For kids: A big boat that takes people on trips across the water.

More Examples

2

Many people dreamed of traveling aboard a transatlantic liner.

How It's Used

Nautical

"The luxury liner sailed across the Atlantic."

2

A cosmetic applied to the eyelids or lips to define their shape.

'laɪnər

nounneutralBeginner
Cosmetics

A cosmetic used to define the eyes or lips.

The makeup artist used a black liner to create a dramatic cat eye.

💡 Simply: It's like a makeup crayon you use to draw a line around your eyes or lips, making them look prettier and more defined. Like drawing a frame on a picture!

👶 For kids: Something you put on your face to make your eyes or lips look special.

More Examples

2

She chose a brown lip liner to match her lipstick shade.

How It's Used

Cosmetics

"She applied eyeliner to accentuate her eyes."

Tip:Think of drawing a 'line' on your eyes or lips.
3

A material used to cover the inner surface of something, such as a container or a swimming pool.

'laɪnər

nounneutralmedium
Materials

A material used to cover the inside of something.

A new pond liner will need to be installed before the fish can be introduced.

💡 Simply: Imagine the inside of a swimming pool: that big sheet of material that keeps the water in is called a liner. Or like the paper inside a baking pan, stopping your cake from sticking!

👶 For kids: Something that goes inside something else to protect it or keep things in.

More Examples

2

The cooler's insulating liner kept the drinks cold for hours.

How It's Used

Construction

"The swimming pool liner needed to be replaced."

Food Processing

"The paper liner prevented the food from sticking to the container."

Tip:Think of a 'lining' used to protect or contain.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Idioms & expressions

silver liner

A positive aspect of a difficult situation.

"Every cloud has a silver lining"

From Middle English *linere*, from Old English *līn* (“line”) + *-ere* (agent suffix). The nautical sense predates the use in cosmetics and other applications.

The term 'liner' for a passenger ship became widely used in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, particularly for transatlantic voyages. The cosmetic sense is more modern, and the protective covering sense is older but the terminology has been adopted with increased frequency in the modern era.

Memory tip

Think of a ship following a 'line' across the ocean.

Word Origin

LanguageOld English
Original meaning

"line + -er (agent/instrument suffix)"

ocean linerluxury linerpool linereyeliner pencillip liner

Common misspellings

lynerlynerr

Usage

40%Spoken
60%Written