sideline

 
Pronunciation: /ˈsʌɪdlʌɪn/

noun

  • 1an activity done in addition to one’s main job, especially to earn extra income: [as modifier]: a sideline career as a stand-up comic
  • an auxiliary line of goods or trade: electronic handbooks are a lucrative sideline for the firm
  • 2either of the two lines bounding the longer sides of a football field, basketball court, or similar: Gascoigne celebrated his goal by sprinting to the sidelines
  • (the sidelines) the area immediately outside such lines as a place for non-players, substitutes, or spectators: a referee collapsed during a match as his son watched from the sidelines
  • (the sidelines) a position where one is observing a situation rather than directly involved in it: we are not just watching from the sidelines, we are rolling our sleeves up and getting involved

verb

[with object]
  • cause (a player) to be unable to play in a team or game: an ankle injury has sidelined him for two weeks
  • remove from the centre of activity or attention; place in a less influential position: backbench MPs have been sidelined and excluded from decision-making