down line

See also: downline and down-line

English

Alternative forms

• downline
• down-line

Noun

down line (plural down lines)

1. A railway line on which trains travel away from a major terminus.
   • 1857, Alan J Day, Verena Hoffman, The Annual Register of World Events:

     The down line was cleared about midnight, or nine hours after the accident, but the up line was not in a state to admit of the traffic being resumed until one o'clock on the next day.

   • 1842, Francis Whishaw, The Railways of Great Britain and Ireland Practically Described and Illustrated:

     The number of down-trains daily is fifty-one, and up-trains fifty; the ropes, therefore, travel 155.25 miles on the up-line, and 158.35 miles on the down-line, or altogether 313.60 miles daily.

2. (travel, aviation) the next and subsequent flights in an itinerary.

   If you miss a flight, the airline will likely cancel the down line.

3. (marketing, often attributive) A member or members of a multi-level marketing scheme recruited by another (their up line) and paying that recruiter a portion of their earnings.
   • 1998, Charles F. Amick, Network Marketing: How to Play by Your Own Rules and Win, page 148:

     I declared to everyone that I would concentrate on selling, not on recruiting, and build my downline slowly over time.

   • 2001, Zig Ziglar, John P. Hayes, Network Marketing For Dummies:

     If we asked you why you invite Bart to dinner, you might say, “I never know when someone will decide to join my organization, although I'm not sure I'd really want Bart in my downline! […]

   • 2019, Tom “Big Al” Schreiter, How To Build Network Marketing Leaders Volume Two

     It wasn't specifically for network marketing, but it gave me a broader view of how I will develop a recruiting campaign for my downline.

See also

• up line