ringside seat

Idioms  

1. A place providing a close view of something, as in We lived right next door, so we had ringside seats for their quarrels. This term presumably came from boxing, where it denotes the seats just outside the boxing ring. [c. 1860]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ringside seat

That gives Continental defense contractors a ringside seat to the astonishing innovation that has enabled Ukraine to survive.

From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026

He had a perfect ringside seat, he said.

From BBC ● May 17, 2026

He’d paid for a ringside seat, boasted to all his friends that he’d be “right there” to witness the action and never saw a thing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2025

Joe Biden had a ringside seat for Jimmy Carter’s presidency — its failures as well as its sometimes unappreciated successes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 29, 2024

And that’s not all—apparently he told someone who worked for the circus that he used to carry water for the elephants, and they upgraded his ticket to a ringside seat!

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen