sideline

1 of 2

noun

side·​line ˈsīd-ˌlīn 

1

: a line at right angles to a goal line or end line and marking a side of a court or field of play for athletic games

2

a

: a line of goods sold in addition to one's principal line

b

: a business or activity pursued in addition to one's regular occupation

3

a

: the space immediately outside the lines along either side of an athletic field or court

b

: a sphere of little or no participation or activity

—usually plural

sideline

2 of 2

verb

sidelined; sidelining; sidelines

transitive verb

: to put out of action : put on the sidelines

Examples of sideline in a Sentence

Noun

She makes and sells jewelry as a sideline.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The Chiefs defeated the Eagles 38-35 in that game, and on the sideline, Kelce was heard imploring his teammates to keep scoring. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 24 Sep. 2026

Then, the night ended with Jonquel Jones rolling her left ankle by stepping on a fan’s foot near the sideline following a three-point attempt in the third quarter of Wednesday’s 83-65 loss to the Atlanta Dream. — Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 24 Sep. 2026

Verb

The bill was sidelined and left lawmakers shellshocked at the scale of the outcry. — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2026

Conklin suffered a wrist injury on his passing hand in that game and remains sidelined indefinitely. — Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 24 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1862, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1913, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for sideline

• alkaline
• andesine
• anodyne
• anticline
• arginine
• asinine
• benzidine
• borderline
• byzantine
• calamine
• caroline
• centerline

Kids Definition

sideline

noun

side·​line

-ˌlīn

1

: a line marking the side of a playing field or court

2

: a business or job done in addition to one's regular occupation