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

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026

Fain’s chief of staff, Chris Brooks, recently left the UAW after one of the monitor’s reports revealed text messages in the Fain-led plan to sideline Mock.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

Those were common emotions Monday after the U.S. joined fellow tournament hosts Mexico and Canada on the sideline.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026

She had done something on the pitch and Jonathan called her a psycho from the sideline.

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026

On offense, the Fugees’ strength was at left forward in Josiah, whose runs down the sideline had resulted in a half-dozen goals so far.

From "Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference" by Warren St. John

Marcus Smith's try in the corner came with number eight Joaquin Oviedo in the sin-bin, before Santiago Carreras joined his team-mate on the sidelines for 10 minutes.

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

Here are Neill’s highlights, all worth rewatching for the sake of better appreciating a sophisticated presence often on the sidelines.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

Now that a majority of Americans own stocks, policymakers may find it hard to sit on the sidelines and not step in if the equity market is teetering, Balchunas said.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 11, 2026

"At least two million potential buyers are sitting on the sidelines ready to buy if they can find the right option," she estimated.

From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026

I watched, mostly from the sidelines, and got into one game briefly, only to discover that the players were a whole level better than me.

From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers

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

Smith has been sidelined since early June because of what he described as an inflamed disk.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

It was the first such gathering since the coup, after which the regional bloc diplomatically sidelined Myanmar.

From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026

Rushing has been the Dodgers’ primary catcher since June 6, when a neck injury sidelined Will Smith.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 4, 2026

“Oh God. What’s the matter with our class anyway? It isn’t even June yet and we’ve already got two men sidelined for the Duration.”

From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles

He then nominated LaNeve for Army vice chief of staff after sidelining the incumbent, Gen. James Mingus.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2026

And most significantly, having to report Monday that star closer Edwin Díaz will have surgery to remove “loose bodies” in his right elbow, likely sidelining him for three months.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 20, 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

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