ENGLISH
REFERENCE

sit on

idiom
Meaning

To block, suppress, restrain (something).


Examples
SIMPLE

The manager decided to sit on the bad news for a while.

CONTEXTUAL

The board of directors chose to sit on the report until they found a way to address the public concerns.

COMPLEX

Fearing a market panic, the central bank opted to sit on the sensitive data regarding the currency devaluation until the end of the fiscal quarter.

Anchors to
Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    sit back

    To relax, to not exert oneself.

  2. 02

    sit in

    To attend a class, educational presentation, meeting, etc. for one time, as a visitor.

  3. 03

    sit in for

    To substitute; to take somebody's place.

  4. 04

    sit in with

    To join (often as an observer, supervisor or outsider) a group working together on a task.

  5. 05

    sit on a tack

    An expression of contempt or dismissiveness directed at someone, particularly in the case of disagreement.

  6. 06

    sit on one's ass

    To be very lazy and idle, especially when immediate action is required.

  7. 07

    sit on one's hands

    To remain idle when action is needed, perhaps because of fear, ignorance, complacency, indecisiveness, or dislike of the person(s) or situation.

  8. 08

    sit on the fence

    To remain neutral on a certain topic, to not have a stance or opinion.

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