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.
—
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
Eat a coney dog downtown One thing to know — Detroiters choose sides.
—Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 20 Apr. 2024
Below, during a recent conversation with THR, Henderson also discusses Garland’s decision to not choose sides in Civil War’s central conflict, instead basing the film in the objective perspective of its journalist characters.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Apr. 2024
The best piece of advice for Washington is not to engage, particularly in a way that forces it to choose sides and add yet another layer of complexity to the ongoing fissures.
—Aaron David Miller, Foreign Affairs, 24 July 2017
Donna endearingly struggled to choose sides in the matchup, eventually settling for a split Chiefs-Eagles jacket that donned equal support for both of her boys.
—Sean Neumann, Peoplemag, 6 Dec. 2023
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
Eat a coney dog downtown One thing to know — Detroiters choose sides.
—Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 20 Apr. 2024
Below, during a recent conversation with THR, Henderson also discusses Garland’s decision to not choose sides in Civil War’s central conflict, instead basing the film in the objective perspective of its journalist characters.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Apr. 2024
The best piece of advice for Washington is not to engage, particularly in a way that forces it to choose sides and add yet another layer of complexity to the ongoing fissures.
—Aaron David Miller, Foreign Affairs, 24 July 2017
Donna endearingly struggled to choose sides in the matchup, eventually settling for a split Chiefs-Eagles jacket that donned equal support for both of her boys.
—Sean Neumann, Peoplemag, 6 Dec. 2023
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 7 Jul. 2024.
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