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

If anything happens to sideline Ohtani the hitter, the Dodgers are sunk, period.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026

Dicker was spotted going into the sideline medical tent early in the game for an undisclosed reason.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

“People used to sideline her mirrored installations,” Chiu said, “but they give people a chance to step into her infinity. Somehow she became a phenomenon.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

And local officials who normally update constituents on the sideline of a football game now say they are legally barred from sharing what they know.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

I knelt down on that sideline, took off my sports goggles, and started to cry.

From "Tangerine" by Edward Bloor

The Group of Seven held talks on the sidelines of the G20 meetings late Monday in Asheville, discussing Ukraine aid.

From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026

The seven-time major winner walked on to Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday to begin his US Open title defence after spending just over four months on the sidelines with a wrist injury.

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026

But after months of sluggish negotiations, much of the U.S. oil industry has remained on the sidelines.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

The meeting is set on the sidelines of a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a 10-nation, security-focused group that includes Iran, giving the isolated regime a measure of added international recognition.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

But then the whistles blew again and people started screaming from the sidelines.

From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely

Celebrating the "historic" pact on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump and Venezuelan interim leader Delcy Rodriguez both sidelined the notion of elections in the near future.

From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026

The brothers were nearly sidelined after a corruption scandal in Brazil almost a decade ago, in which they admitted to bribing politicians and spent several months in jail.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

In January 2022, with several safeties sidelined because of injuries, the Rams signed All-Pro safety Eric Weddle to the practice squad.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026

Baleba, who joined Brighton from Lille in 2023, is currently sidelined with an ankle injury he picked up during the Seagulls' pre-season training camp in Austria.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

Only a few weeks after the Time cover story, however, the locomotive of adoration was sidelined by a more substantial critique.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

So much can go wrong if he’s pitching, and any pitching injury could have the double whammy of sidelining him as a hitter.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 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

She has aimed to burnish her personal stardom at every turn, staging aggressive crackdowns and sidelining officials who suggested a more cautious approach.

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