to take sides with
1
4.0
- phrasal verb
:
tomar partido por
- Scientists reading this will naturally take sides with either team inductive or team deductive, and this decision will likely be correlated with whether they are supporters or opponents of the AGW hypothesis.
Examples
-
My father took sides with the shipbuilders, and Mr. I. was for the owners.
Fiction book (2002) -
Scar, I won't take sides with any government or religion in what I am about to say.
Blog text (32) -
I am not taking sides with anyone; I was just making an observation.
Blog text (14) -
If you ask me, Reverend Ford should have taken sides with Mayor Warren.
-
You are trashing the right wing and taking sides with the left.
Blog text (1) -
She's still pissed at me for taking sides with my dad.
-
By taking sides with the equally misguided right, we cut off all potential for economic dialogue.
Blog text (18) -
And neutrality means technically, specifically, I'm not going to take sides with respect to the internal conflict.
-
"That's not the point," Harry said, his eyes getting big and his voice getting louder as he saw Luella taking sides with Wilbur again.
Fiction book (1993) -
In their heated argument, I decided to take sides with my friend instead of his opponent.
Synonyms
96
3.6
Support a person or group in an argument
96
4.2
To agree with and support a group, cause, or way of thinking
88
4.3
To support one person or group in a dispute
84
2.9
Support a person, group, or cause during hard times
45
3.6
To join with a person, group, or country for a common purpose
39
3.1
To support one side in an argument
12
4.0
To join with another person or group to work together for the same goal
11
3.0
Support someone in an argument when others disagree
6
5.8
To join and support a group or side
1
3.9
Support and defend other people who share a cause
To support someone in an argument
Join a group or cause and support it
Antonyms
How Supportive
64
4.2
932
1.0
1
4.0
∞
1.0
205
3.7
44
3.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to support or align oneself with a person or group' is directly derivable from combining 'take' (to choose or assume) with 'side(s)' (a party or position) and 'with' (in support of). This compositional pattern is common across languages and follows straightforward English argument/position metaphors, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Take sides with comes from a simple picture: you move to one side to stand next to a person in an argument, so you literally take a side and stand with them. So it means 'to support' that person or group in a disagreement.