choose sides
Abandon neutral ground
To choose sides is to align yourself with one of two or more opposing groups, factions, or positions in a conflict or competition.
The phrase often appears in contexts where neutrality becomes difficult or impossible: The civil war forced everyone to choose sides.
In childhood games, choosing sides refers to the process of selecting team members, typically with captains alternating picks.
The expression carries connotations of commitment and potential consequences, since choosing sides usually means accepting the risks that come with that allegiance.
- alignArrange in a row
- decisionSettled course of action
- factionalismDivision into opposing cliques
- partisanBiased toward one side
- go withMatch or escort
join forces · preference · tribalism · polarization · selection · draw a line · team captains · allegiance · rivalry · feud · pick · option · loyalty · loyalty test · team up · solidarity · us versus them · battle