From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbe on the linebe on the lineif something important is on the line, there is a risk that you might lose it or something bad could happen to it From now on, all our jobs are on the line. She knew that her whole future was on the line.put yourself/your neck on the line (for somebody) (=risk something bad happening to you) I’ve already put myself on the line for you once, and I’m not going to do it again. → line
Examples from the Corpus
be on the line• With the game on the line, Kansas City scored two touchdowns in five minutes.• Your job's on the line in this case - you'd better make sure you're right.• More manufacturing jobs could be on the line.• An hour later the Secretary of Defense was on the line asking me what on earth I was thinking of.• Ego is on the line in front of this gaijin lady.• When a game was on the line, Carr was nowhere to be found.• We decided that if the game was on the line and something dictated it, the streak was supposed to continue.• Iain is on the line and wants Philip to meet him.• Now 350 jobs here and more than 5,000 at production bases in Birmingham and Lancashire are on the line.• A company's reputation is on the line in the way it handles complaints. 