sideline

American  

[sahyd-lahyn] / ˈsaɪdˌlaɪn /

noun

• sidelines
  plural

1. a line at the side of something.

2. a business or activity pursued in addition to one's primary business; a second occupation.

3. an additional or auxiliary line of goods.

   a grocery store with a sideline of household furnishings.

4. Sports.

   1. either of the two lines defining the side boundaries of a field or court.

   2. sidelines, the area immediately beyond either sideline, where the substitute players sit.

5. sidelines, the position or point of view taken by a person who observes an activity or situation but does not directly participate in it.

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verb (used with object)

• sidelines,
  present (3rd person singular)
• sidelined,
  past participle,  past
• sidelining
  present participle

1. to render incapable of participation, especially in anything involving vigorous, physical action, as a sport.

   An injury to his throwing arm sidelined the quarterback for two weeks.

sideline British  

/ ˈsaɪdˌlaɪn /

noun

1. sport a line that marks the side boundary of a playing area

2. a subsidiary interest or source of income

3. an auxiliary business activity or line of merchandise

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verb

1. to prevent (a player) from taking part in a game

2. to prevent (a person) from pursuing a particular activity, operation, career, etc

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• sidelines
  plural

Participles

• sidelining
  present
• sidelined
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• sideline
  simple
• sidelines
  simple
• have sidelined
  perfect
• has sidelined
  perfect
• am sidelining
  progressive
• are sidelining
  progressive
• is sidelining
  progressive
• have been sidelining
  perfect progressive
• has been sidelining
  perfect progressive

Past

• sidelined
  simple
• had sidelined
  perfect
• was sidelining
  progressive
• were sidelining
  progressive
• had been sidelining
  perfect progressive

Future

• will sideline
  simple
• will have sidelined
  perfect
• will be sidelining
  progressive
• will have been sidelining
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of sideline

An Americanism dating back to 1685–95; side ¹ + line ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sideline sidelines sidelined sidelining

And local officials who normally update constituents on the sideline of a football game now say they are legally barred from sharing what they know.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

Flanagan now advances to a general election matchup against Michele Tafoya, a former professional sports sideline reporter.

From Slate ● Aug. 15, 2026

On the sideline, Pleasant had to learn to impact the game and the players around him without stepping onto the field.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026

“We remain on the sideline as AMD’s AI efforts play out.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

So all I could do was watch the game start from the sideline and just hope that by some miracle I’d get a chance to sub in.

From "Winger" by Andrew Smith

If the test fizzled, “the weighty investment in failure would loom quietly from the sidelines as history unfolded around it.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

When Kennedy ended up violating those pledges, Cassidy disagreed with him from the sidelines but could do little else.

From Slate ● Aug. 7, 2026

Salzburg’s future is anyone’s guess, but even with Hinterhäuser on the sidelines, this summer is still his festival, meaningful as ever.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

In other words, the housing market is feeling the blow from rising mortgage rates, as buyers have found another reason to wait on the sidelines.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

I took a short swim, got out of the water, sat on the sidelines and read while Grandpa was teaching Ethan how to dive.

From "The View From Saturday" by E.L. Konigsburg

Glasnow, on the verge of a rehab assignment, has been sidelined for nearly three months with back spasms, an injury the Dodgers initially hoped wouldn’t even need an IL stint.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026

After winning in a recount, Nanos sidelined deputies who had supported Lappin, according to people familiar with the matter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

The AFC also criticised Fifa for leaving "confederations, member associations and even Fifa's own governing bodies, including the Fifa Council, feeling sidelined."

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

Last season, with Stafford sidelined throughout camp because of a back issue, Bennett took second-team reps behind Garoppolo.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

According to a study by the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, each year the average jockey is injured three times and spends a total of almost eight weeks sidelined by injuries incurred on the track.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

His government nationalized hotels, closed casinos and turned to Soviet-backed sugar exports for revenue, sidelining tourism for decades.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 27, 2026

And most significantly, having to report Monday that star closer Edwin Díaz will have surgery to remove “loose bodies” in his right elbow, likely sidelining him for three months.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 20, 2026

And while previous TV adaptations root into the emotional interiority of their male characters while sidelining female desire, “The Forsytes” places more narrative purpose in the hands of its women.

From Salon ● Mar. 28, 2026

With Lewandowski, Trump’s former campaign manager, at her side, she has staged a headline grabbing immigration crackdown while sidelining rivals and dissenters.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 2026

Until recently, Zhang's abrupt sidelining was largely unexpected, due to his long military tenure and perceived closeness with Xi.

From Barron's ● Feb. 4, 2026