firing line
noun
1
: a line from which fire is delivered against a target
2
: the forefront of an activity
—used especially in the phrase on the firing line
Examples of firing line in a Sentence
a brave soldier who was never far behind the firing line
Recent Examples on the Web
The goal from day one has been to develop a machine that could get soldiers out of the firing line.
—
David Hambling, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025
Taking Shoaib Bashir out of the firing line seems sensible, too.
—The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 8 July 2025
Thanks to a last minute call to one of the executioners though, Janine (Madeline Brewer) is pulled from the firing line and spared.
—Matt Cabral, EW.com, 6 May 2025
Davies is 31 and in his 11th season at Spurs, just back from an injury and straight into the firing line.
—Jack Pitt-Brooke, The Athletic, 3 Feb. 2025
Now Page steps into the firing line against the heavy-handed Magomedov as the betting underdog.
—Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 2025
Tell a soldier's story New Zealand soldiers walking over a wooden bridge spanning the Ypres Canal heading for the firing line at the Western Front, c. 1917.
—Bob Hirshon, Discover Magazine, 2 Aug. 2024
The willingness of the four judges to challenge the status quo placed them directly in the political firing line.
—Nic Cheeseman, Foreign Affairs, 15 Nov. 2017
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David Hambling, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025
Taking Shoaib Bashir out of the firing line seems sensible, too.
—The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 8 July 2025
Thanks to a last minute call to one of the executioners though, Janine (Madeline Brewer) is pulled from the firing line and spared.
—Matt Cabral, EW.com, 6 May 2025
Davies is 31 and in his 11th season at Spurs, just back from an injury and straight into the firing line.
—Jack Pitt-Brooke, The Athletic, 3 Feb. 2025
Now Page steps into the firing line against the heavy-handed Magomedov as the betting underdog.
—Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 2025
Tell a soldier's story New Zealand soldiers walking over a wooden bridge spanning the Ypres Canal heading for the firing line at the Western Front, c. 1917.
—Bob Hirshon, Discover Magazine, 2 Aug. 2024
The willingness of the four judges to challenge the status quo placed them directly in the political firing line.
—Nic Cheeseman, Foreign Affairs, 15 Nov. 2017
Cite this Entry
“Firing line.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/firing%20line. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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