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

Kroenke surely does not want any other NFC team owner holding court pregame on the Super Bowl sideline.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026

Before departing Washington on Monday, Rubio said he was open to the possibility of a sideline meeting with China's top diplomat Wang Yi, who will also be in Manila.

From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026

Dos Santos did some vein-popping flexing on the sideline.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026

One major warning sign appeared before Moore even took the sideline for his first game as head coach.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

Tino took off at a brisk walk down the sideline, Victor right behind him.

From "Tangerine" by Edward Bloor

Apple has largely sat on the sidelines of the AI spending craze while the rest of the “Magnificent Seven” tech giants continue to increase their capex levels.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026

The Houthis, who control a large part of Yemen, including the capital San’a, are an important ally for Tehran, though they have remained largely on the sidelines of the current conflict.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

Until now, the Houthis had stayed on the sidelines of the conflict, despite Iranian threats to shut down Bab al-Mandeb.

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

As World Cup fanfare came to a close on Sunday, with Spain taking home the top prize, it was clear that there was another winner on the sidelines: Telemundo.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

Then Carmetta uses Coach West as a crutch and hobbles over to the sidelines.

From "A Good Kind of Trouble" by Lisa Moore Ramée

Debbie is a politician’s wife who sidelined her career aspirations to support his ambition to be Prime Minister.

From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026

The group of departees includes Bucknor, who has been sidelined since he was struck in the face mask by a foul ball on April 1.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

Advocates in some spaces, including climate, have worried about their issues being sidelined.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

Benn, who has lost just once in 26 fights, was also sidelined for a year amid a doping scandal.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

During the French and Indian War, he had botched one mission, witnessed a bloody massacre of British troops, and then been sidelined as the conflict moved away from Virginia.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis

This means the brand can’t raise prices too high for risk of sidelining middle-class shoppers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 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

It has brought fresh infamy to “The Bachelor” and its format of prioritizing fairy-tale romance scenarios inside an isolated bubble while sidelining real-world issues centered on social trends, mental health and cultural shifts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 24, 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