in the wings

1. Also, waiting in the wings. Nearby in the background, available on short notice. For example, Some police were in the wings in case of trouble at the rally, or There are at least a dozen young managers waiting in the wings for Harold to retire. This expression alludes to the theater, where a player waits in the wings or backstage area, unseen by the audience, for his or her turn to come on stage. [Second half of 1800s]

Example Sentences

He is unlikely to get in as the 10, with Rogers currently in possession and Bellingham waiting in the wings.

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Ken Davis, the tour’s production stage manager, takes in the well-orchestrated chaos with a smile, gesturing at the massive props that occupy every possible nook and cranny in the wings.

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Whatever the merits of having someone different in charge – and many see Robert Jenrick waiting in the wings – it risks exposing the Tories once again to the most damaging of political forces: ridicule.

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Gavin Newsom, like Kamala Harris, has been in the wings for years as part of the next generation of Democratic national leaders — and, like Harris, he was ready for the spotlight when Biden decided to stick around instead.

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Is Orange County simply an L.A. understudy in the wings?

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