choose sides

choose sides

1. To ally or agree with one person or group in an argument. I refuse to choose sides between my two daughters! I didn't intend to choose sides, but Nancy made the stronger case.
2. To divide a group of people into teams, as when playing a sport or game. The game hasn't started yet because it's taking those guys forever to choose sides!
See also: choose, side
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

choose (up) sides

to select from a group to be on opposing sides for a debate, fight, or game. (Fixed order.) Let's choose up sides and play basketball. The children chose up sides and began the game.
See also: choose, side
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • choose
  • choose between (two people or things)
  • choose between two people or things
  • choose from
  • choose from (people or things)
  • choose among
  • choose among (people or things)
  • decide
  • decide against
  • decide against (someone or something)
References in periodicals archive
As the US-China technological cold war spreads into space, third countries will face growing pressure to choose sides. America's response to China's growing 5G capabilities provides a likely template for its approach to rivalry in space.
But Mr Trump has chosen division in the belief that the polarised country he leads will simply choose sides over issues such as race.
and China continued to rage, Taiwanese businesses might be forced to choose sides, Bush cautioned, as they would not necessarily benefit.
Perhaps the two tallest forms want the viewer to choose sides; arranged back to back, they might be ignoring or opposing each other.
Shiloh knows Jason took Kristina from the attic and on the Thursday, April 18 episode of "General Hospital," the Dawn of Day leader will put Sam in an uncomfortable position that may force her to choose sides.
I choose sides not for the sake of partisanship but because it is right, at least as far as I am concerned," he said.
The Philippines is in no position economically or militarily to choose sides. Further, no matter how unlikely, what if the US for some reason wanted to use the Chinese incursion into Philippine territory as an excuse to go to war with China?
The international community must choose sides wisely in the Venezuelan conflict, the curator of US intervention in the Latin American country, Special Envoy Elliott Abrams, suggested on Tuesday, noting that Washington would not limit itself to economic sanctions just against the Maduro government, but against all who chose to support him.
Cue the jockeying for position of world leaders as they choose sides. I'm almost sure we've been down this road before.
Like the warring characters in 'Julius Caesar,' perhaps what this play foremost needed was to choose sides. This author, for one, is beyond excited to see Deldoc take the backstage farce all the way.
The world remains divided into East and West even if it does not suit our foreign minister to admit it because in such a case, the government would have to choose sides.
At this time when political, social and economic forces make people choose sides, we are challenged even more to test the attitudes that we carry, the sentiments that we feel and the actions that we take when we partake of God's Spirit in our lives.
Perhaps an argument can be made that Saudi Arabia is on the diplomatic warpath and with Pakistan suffering acute pressure on the external account front, the possibility of financial aid, oil imports on preferential terms and sustaining crucial foreign remittances from Saudi Arabia has meant having to choose sides.
We love both ladies' looks, so we wouldn't like to choose sides.
When twins Sean and Dillon Kirrell use their transit abilities to rescue a kidnap victim, they cross a clandestine group within their government who seeks to control all planets with their transit powers, forcing the brothers to choose sides in what could explode into full-blown war.