# three-line whip

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. A directive to MPs from party leaders to vote in a particular way in parliament, despite what the MP might believe or what his or her constituents might like.
2. An imperative order.

## Etymology
From the triple underlining of very important votes on “the whip” — a document detailing upcoming business distributed weekly to British MPs by party managers.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/three-line-whip