as in hesitation
a state or an instance of temporary inaction because of uncertainty about the right course of action
in Congress there was a lot of fence-sitting, with many representatives waiting to see which way the political wind was blowing
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Examples of fence-sitting in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The endorsement is just one part of Harris' strategy to win over fence-sitting Republican voters.
—
Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 7 Sep. 2024
With the world watching, President Biden delivered a press conference performance strong enough to buy time from fence-sitting Democrats — but wobbly enough to keep the mutiny armed and dangerous.
—Zachary Basu, Axios, 12 July 2024
In an impassioned speech – sketched out on little notecards, no less – Rhys had managed to sway enough of the fence-sitting members, and the bylaws had been amended.
—Lizz Schumer, Peoplemag, 12 June 2024
Given the close nature of the race, these fence-sitting voters could play a crucial role in determining who will become the next president.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2024
That question must haunt the pair — director-writer John Ridley and his star Regina King — who collaborated on this sometimes touching but fence-sitting portrayal of Chisholm.
—Armond White, National Review, 27 Mar. 2024
Washington also needs to strengthen the incentives for fence-sitting countries to work with the United States by offering better access to the American market.
—Ryan Hass, Foreign Affairs, 24 Oct. 2023
Democrats should not get in the way of that by pushing what certainly will appear like an antidemocratic maneuver — which has been Trump’s MO in recent years — to Republicans and maybe some fence-sitting independents.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Sep. 2023
Zelensky is expected to try to persuade fence-sitting countries to rally behind Ukraine’s war effort.
—Farnaz Fassihi, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Sep. 2023
Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 7 Sep. 2024
With the world watching, President Biden delivered a press conference performance strong enough to buy time from fence-sitting Democrats — but wobbly enough to keep the mutiny armed and dangerous.
—Zachary Basu, Axios, 12 July 2024
In an impassioned speech – sketched out on little notecards, no less – Rhys had managed to sway enough of the fence-sitting members, and the bylaws had been amended.
—Lizz Schumer, Peoplemag, 12 June 2024
Given the close nature of the race, these fence-sitting voters could play a crucial role in determining who will become the next president.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2024
That question must haunt the pair — director-writer John Ridley and his star Regina King — who collaborated on this sometimes touching but fence-sitting portrayal of Chisholm.
—Armond White, National Review, 27 Mar. 2024
Washington also needs to strengthen the incentives for fence-sitting countries to work with the United States by offering better access to the American market.
—Ryan Hass, Foreign Affairs, 24 Oct. 2023
Democrats should not get in the way of that by pushing what certainly will appear like an antidemocratic maneuver — which has been Trump’s MO in recent years — to Republicans and maybe some fence-sitting independents.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Sep. 2023
Zelensky is expected to try to persuade fence-sitting countries to rally behind Ukraine’s war effort.
—Farnaz Fassihi, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Sep. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fence-sitting.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Fence-sitting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fence-sitting. Accessed 12 Sep. 2024.
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