sideline
Americannoun
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sidelines
plural
-
a line at the side of something.
-
a business or activity pursued in addition to one's primary business; a second occupation.
-
an additional or auxiliary line of goods.
a grocery store with a sideline of household furnishings.
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Sports.
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sidelines, the position or point of view taken by a person who observes an activity or situation but does not directly participate in it.
verb (used with object)
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sidelines,
present (3rd person singular)
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sidelined,
past participle, past
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sidelining
present participle
noun
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sport a line that marks the side boundary of a playing area
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a subsidiary interest or source of income
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an auxiliary business activity or line of merchandise
verb
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to prevent (a player) from taking part in a game
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to prevent (a person) from pursuing a particular activity, operation, career, etc
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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sidelinesimple
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sidelinessimple
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have sidelinedperfect
-
has sidelinedperfect
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am sideliningprogressive
-
are sideliningprogressive
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is sideliningprogressive
-
have been sideliningperfect progressive
-
has been sideliningperfect progressive
Past
-
sidelinedsimple
-
had sidelinedperfect
-
was sideliningprogressive
-
were sideliningprogressive
-
had been sideliningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of sideline
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.
See Examples For:
The NFL did not disclose the specific behavior that prompted the organization to single out those coaches, although all three have had visible sideline beef with officials this season.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
Tafoya, meanwhile, was mocked by many upon her entry to the race, as former Sunday Night Football sideline reporters don’t have substantial governing backgrounds.
From Slate ● Oct. 22, 2026
What former Sunday Night Football sideline reporters do have, though, is vast name recognition and an ability to speak well on TV.
From Slate ● Oct. 22, 2026
Flanagan faces former NFL sideline reporter Michele Tafoya in a surprisingly close race where the latest polling shows the Democrat leading by three or four percentage points.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
He led us at a sprint down the far sideline.
From "Tangerine" by Edward Bloor
A miserable housing market is keeping appliance-shoppers on the sidelines, and Whirlpool WHR -5.91%decrease; down pointing triangle is paying the price.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
The "situation is tense and there's a bit of a stalemate", ambassador Roelf Meyer told AFP on the sidelines of an event to launch his memoir.
From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2026
The coaches on both sidelines wore Orange County Fire Authority hats as a token of gratitude.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2026
“Sitting on the sidelines gives you fewer choices, and often suboptimal choices.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026
The rest of us stood on the sidelines as the chosen ones laughed and high-fived and hugged each other.
From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles
Bryan, currently sidelined with a broken collarbone, is ranked No. 141 nationally at his position in the 247/Sports Composite.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2026
"Despite the study's adherence to its mandate, its findings were sidelined."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026
But experts say the unrest reflects a broader sense among many young Europeans that they have been shut out of politics and sidelined.
From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026
Haines has also helped to secure funds for housebuilding, railway improvements and health infrastructure in her region, which she argues has long been sidelined by policies favouring cities.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
But Robinson would not be sidelined, and de Bums took the next five.
From "In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson" by Bette Bao Lord
His campaign erected billboards denouncing discrimination against the Sephardim, and his party accused Netanyahu of sidelining Sephardic members of Likud by limiting their media appearances during the campaign.
From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026
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
The ban might help domestic drone makers grow at home by sidelining DJI.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 3, 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
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