take sides

Idioms

Also, take someone's side. Support or favor one party in a dispute, as in Parents shouldn't take sides in their children's quarrels, or Thanks for taking my side concerning the agenda. [c. 1700] Also see take someone's part.

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:

take sides

Her son Luca Dotti once said in an interview: "She believed very much that there is a struggle between good and evil and you have to take sides."

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026

Earl Spencer said he did not take sides - as he perceives is the "perception in the media" - in the dispute between Princes William and Harry.

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026

On social media, respondents were not hesitant to take sides.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 23, 2026

The letter doesn’t seem to take sides, emphasizing instead the need for cooperation that would allow “families, businesses, our employees, and communities across Minnesota to resume our work.”

From Barron's ● Jan. 26, 2026

Some historians believe that about one-third of the colonists were Tories, one-third were Patriots, and the rest didn’t take sides.

From "George Washington, Spymaster" by Thomas B. Allen

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