choose sides
idiom
: to divide a group into two teams that will play against each other
When we chose sides in gym class, I was always the last person to be picked to be on a team.
—often used figurativelyThey are forcing us to choose sides in the dispute.
Examples of choose sides in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
As the second season begins, Westeros is on the brink of a bloody civil war with powerful houses being forced to choose sides.
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Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 12 June 2024
The time for posturing is over; the time to choose sides has come.
—Aja Romano, Vox, 12 June 2024
Economics may be the biggest arena in which Asian swing states reject pressure to firmly choose sides in a U.S.-Chinese competition.
—Paul Staniland, Foreign Affairs, 2 May 2024
That position, that speech, may be hateful or offensive to some or many people, but the government does not get to pick and choose sides as to the speech that it is required to protect.
—Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for choose sides 
Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 12 June 2024
The time for posturing is over; the time to choose sides has come.
—Aja Romano, Vox, 12 June 2024
Economics may be the biggest arena in which Asian swing states reject pressure to firmly choose sides in a U.S.-Chinese competition.
—Paul Staniland, Foreign Affairs, 2 May 2024
That position, that speech, may be hateful or offensive to some or many people, but the government does not get to pick and choose sides as to the speech that it is required to protect.
—Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for choose sides
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'choose sides.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Choose sides.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/choose%20sides. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.
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