Definition of "outline" in English

noun

1. A line marking the boundary of an object figure.

2. The outer shape of an object or figure.

3. A sketch or drawing in which objects are delineated in contours without shading.

4. A general description of some subject.

5. A statement summarizing the important points of a text.

6. A preliminary plan for a project.

   • the outline of a speech

7. (film) A prose telling of a story intended to be turned into a screenplay; generally longer and more detailed than a treatment.

8. (fishing) A setline or trotline.

verb

1. (transitive) To draw an outline of; to describe.

2. (transitive) To summarize.

   • Wikipedia items featuring books usually outline them after giving their background.

3. (transitive, software compilation) To optimize for size by replacing repeated code fragments with function calls.