tear line
tear line noun: in a classified intelligence report, the point at which the confidential version of a report ends (often marked by a series of dashes), and a sanitized version suitable for sharing with the public begins.
Noun (1)
tear line (plural tear lines)
- In a classified intelligence report, the point at which the confidential version of a report ends (often marked by a series of dashes), and a sanitized version suitable for sharing with the public begins.
- Where source-revealing information must necessarily be included, the Commission strongly recommends the use of a tear line. Those who need to know how the information was derived will have access to the information above the tear line, marked SECRET COMPARTMENTED ACCESS. Those who need to act on...1994, Joint Security Commission, Redefining Security: A Report to the Secretary of Defense and the Director of Central Intelligence. Unclassified., page 14
- A perforated or printed dotted line along which paper may be torn or cut.
Noun (2)
tear line (plural tear lines)
- The meniscus of lacrimal fluid between the eyeball and eyelid.
Forms of tear line
| plural | tear lines |
|---|---|
| alternative form | tearline |
Questions about tear line
- What does tear line mean?
- Tear line means in a classified intelligence report, the point at which the confidential version of a report ends (often marked by a series of dashes), and a sanitized version suitable for sharing with the public begins.
- What part of speech is tear line?
- Tear line is a noun.
- What is the plural of tear line?
- The plural of tear line is tear lines.
Words near tear line in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: tear line (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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