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sideline

noun · verb

Simple meaning

A line for hobbling an animal by connecting the fore and the hind feet of the same side.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

sydlyn

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈsaɪdlaɪn

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. A line for hobbling an animal by connecting the fore and the hind feet of the same side.

  2. Something that is additional or extra or that exists around the edges or margins of a main item.

  3. figuratively

    The outside or perimeter of any activity.

  4. canada

    A secondary road, especially a byroad at right angles to a main road.

  5. An auxiliary activity

  6. philippines

    A side hustle.

verb

  1. figurativetransitive

    To remove or keep out of circulation or out of the focus.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
C1 · Advanced (estimated)
Frequency
Uncommon
Typical Use
Primarily written

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A line for hobbling an animal by connecting the fore and the hind feet of the same side.

Used this way, sideline is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use sideline

  • “The outspoken cabinet member was sidelined by the President.”verb

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Remove

interesting sideline

Secondary

right sideline

Other combinations

sideline productionsideline businessprofitable sidelineleft sidelinesideline activityhousehold sideline

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.