sit on the fence

idiom/sɪt ɒn ðə fɛns/ 🔊 listen

Sit on the fence means to deliberately avoid taking sides in an argument or decision — to stay neutral. Unlike simply being undecided, it often suggests a conscious choice to not commit either way. (Related: on the fence.)

📖 Meanings

1to deliberately avoid taking sides; stay neutral
"Stop sitting on the fence and tell us what you think." — Stop staying neutral and tell us what you think.
2to remain uncommitted in a debate
"Politicians often sit on the fence on tricky issues." — Politicians often avoid taking sides on tricky issues.

🔄 Related phrases

stay neutral →be on the fence →avoid taking sides →

💬 Common patterns

sit on the fencestop sitting on the fencefence-sitter
❓ How do you tell someone to stop avoiding taking sides?