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Synonyms

sit on the fence

Cultural  

  1. To remain neutral, to refuse to take sides in a dispute; often used in a derogatory way about someone who lacks the courage to decide: “The councilman is afraid he'll lose votes if he takes sides on the zoning issue, but he can't sit on the fence forever.”

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.

“Any Republican who tries to sit on the fence on this one, they’re going to lose because there’s no gray area here. You either support the exceptions or you don’t.”

From Salon

I know everyone reading this will go for a 1-1 draw, but I don't like to sit on the fence for big games like this, and neither should you.

From BBC

The obvious prediction to go for is a draw – that’s what Kellie will go for, I’m sure, and I am going to sit on the fence too.

From BBC

"But I don't want to sit on the fence when it comes to the big games."

From BBC

The question has dominated boxing for the best part of a decade, and British fight fans rarely sit on the fence.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.