on the sidelines

Idioms  

1. Observing rather than taking part, out of the action, as in Bolivia's neighbors remained on the sidelines, waiting to see which faction in the dispute would prevail. This idiom comes from sports. The sidelines are the two lines defining the sides of the court or playing field and the area immediately beyond them where, in such sports as football, the non-playing team members sit. [First half of 1900s]

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Example Sentences

I remember standing on the sidelines on countless weekend mornings watching my children play youth soccer.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 19, 2026

From the England team that played at Lord's, Stokes, Atkinson and Robinson will definitely miss out at The Oval and could be joined on the sidelines by Bashir and Smith.

From BBC • Jun. 14, 2026

The root cause was economics: Construction costs exceeded achievable sale prices, creating an appraisal gap that kept builders on the sidelines.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni named an experimental starting line-up against Iceland, with Julian Alvarez, Enzo Fernandez and Alexis Mac Allister joining Messi on the sidelines initially.

From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026

Nicole was on the sidelines the following January as I performed flawless giants in competition as part of my bar routine.

From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles