streamline
part of speech
verb (streamline, streamlines, streamlined, streamlining); noun (a streamline — science); adjective «streamlined»
meaning for a pupil
1) To streamline something is to give it a smooth, slim shape so it moves easily through air or water. tree →
2) To streamline a job or a system is to make it simpler and quicker by removing unneeded steps. tree →
3) (science, noun) A streamline is a line showing the path air or water takes as it flows around something. tree →
sense in the lessons
In science lessons on forces, a streamlined shape reduces air resistance or water resistance (drag): fish, birds, racing cars and rockets are streamlined. In everyday and business life «streamline the process» means make it easier and faster. Phrases: «streamlined shape», «streamline the process».
examples
- A dolphin's body is streamlined so it swims fast. tree →
- Racing cars are streamlined to cut through the air. tree →
- We made streamlined paper boats and tested them in the water tray. tree →
- The school streamlined the lunch queue so everyone eats sooner. tree →
- Cyclists crouch low to make themselves more streamlined. tree →
- Mum streamlined her morning by packing bags the night before. tree →
- The new train has a streamlined nose. tree →
note
Past form «streamlined» is often used as an adjective: «a streamlined car». In science, streamlined does not mean «no friction»; it means less drag. Opposite idea: a «blunt» or «boxy» shape that has more drag.
In the corpora
- Sea turtles cannot pull their heads or flippers into their shells, because their streamlined swimming shells have no room inside.
- For example, "We are streamlining the team" from a manager usually means some people are about to lose their jobs.
- "Streamlining" means cutting jobs or services.
- "Efficiency savings" means budget cuts; "streamlining" and "rightsizing" mean cutting jobs.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «streamline» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.