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Business English vocabulary · Emails and Reports

Subject line

Meaning in business english, with examples

/ˈsʌbdʒɪkt ˌlaɪn/nounCore term

In business english, subject line means: The short line at the top of an email that tells the reader what the message is about before they open it.

In Turkish: konu satırı, e-posta konusu, konu

How it is used

A clear subject line helps busy people decide what to read first. Good ones are specific: 'Q3 report: final draft for approval' rather than just 'Report'. Some teams add tags such as 'URGENT' or 'Action required'.

Example sentences

  1. Please put the order number in the subject line so we can find your email quickly.

  2. His email had no subject line, so it went straight to my spam folder.

Common collocations

  • in the subject line
  • a clear subject line
  • change the subject line
  • the subject line reads
  • inboxThe folder in an email program where new messages arrive; also used to mean all the emails waiting for your attention.
  • CCShort for carbon copy: the email field for people who should see a message for information but are not expected to act on it. Also used as a verb.
  • draftAn early version of a document, email or plan that is not final yet and will probably be changed. As a verb, to write that first version.
  • threadA series of emails or chat messages that reply to each other on the same subject and are grouped together.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Emails and Reports

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