on the table
Idioms-
Up for discussion, as in There are two new proposals on the table . [Mid-1600s]
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Postponed or put aside for later consideration, as in When they adjourned, three items were put on the table until the next meeting . [First half of 1700s] The table in both idioms is a figurative conference table. Also see lay one's cards on the table .
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Caudle said this year, “those critical components that we weren’t expecting to repair are now on the table, so the work package grows.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
The billionaire has since repeated that he is keeping the option of striking Tehran on the table, but prefers to stress the economic damage inflicted on the country through economic sanctions.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
A deal for Alalshikh, the co-founder of boxing promotion company Zuffa, to take a controlling stake in the Championship club had been on the table with the football regulator since May.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
“It will immediately be back on the table, and I will get it done,” the president proclaimed.
From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026
Dad puts a steaming mug on the table in front of Gran.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
