draw a line in the sand

draw a line in the sand
Rate this phrase:(0.00 / 0 votes)

To create a real or artificial boundary or distinction between (two places, people or things).

Etymology:

Unknown. In the US, it is commonly accepted as a reference to the action of William B. Travis, who, in 1836, while commanding the defenders of the Alamo and contemplating a demand for surrender, drew a line in the sand and asked those willing to remain and defend the Alamo to their deaths to step across.

: 10 Views

Collection Edit

Submitted on July 07, 2010

Additional definitions for 'draw a line in the sand':

draw a line in the sand	To lay down a challenge; to provide a test of commitment (often one which carries a high risk) to a cause.
draw a line in the sand	To indicate the threshold or level above which something will become unacceptable or will provoke a response; to create a boundary and imply or declare that its crossing will provoke a (negative) response.

See them all »

Translation

Find a translation for the draw a line in the sand phrase in other languages:

Select another language:

Nearby phrases

Some more phrases from our dictionary similar to draw a line in the sand

drag up draw down drama queen draw a blank drain away draw in draw a bath drama queen draw in drank the koolaid drag up drain out dragon's den drain out

How to pronounce this phrase?

Alex
US English
Daniel
British
Karen
Australian
Veena
Indian

Discuss this draw a line in the sand phrase with the community:

Citation

Use the citation below to add this draw a line in the sand definition to your bibliography:

Style:MLA Chicago APA

"draw a line in the sand." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2021. Web. 22 Jan. 2021. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/draw-a-line-in-the-sand_12057>.

We need you!

Help us build the largest human-edited phrases collection on the web!

The Web's Largest Resource for

Phrases, Verbs & Idioms

A Member Of The STANDS4 Network

Thanks for your vote! We truly appreciate your support.