alongside
Americanadverb
preposition
-
beside; by the side of.
The dog ran alongside me all the way.
-
Informal. alongside of, compared with.
Alongside of his brother, he is no student at all.
preposition
adverb
Etymology
Origin of alongside
Explanation
Use the adverb alongside when two things are right next to each other, like a boat and a dock or a hunter and her loyal dog. If you pull up alongside your friend's car in a parking lot, it means that you've parked directly beside it. Alongside can also imply cooperation, as when a baker's assistant works alongside him, kneading dough and wiping flour off the counter. Alongside was once a phrase, either "along side" or "along the side," both primarily used in a nautical sense, to talk about boats. In the 1700s it became a single word.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"We're ready for the fight" is the Telegraph's headline, accompanied by a photo of a grinning Badenoch alongside her husband Hamish.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
Samsung, its South Korean rival SK hynix and US giant Micron dominate the global market for HBM -- advanced chips used in AI data centres alongside other powerful data-crunching semiconductors.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
‘DWTS’ pro Witney Carson took to social media following Week 3 of Season 35 to address rumors that she wished to be voted off alongside celebrity partner Guillermo Rodriguez because of her pregnancy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
The study focused on the intestinal microbiome, the vast community of bacteria that has evolved alongside humans and helps with digestion, immune function, and other essential processes.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026
“Be calm,” Commander Gorringe told us as the ship pulled alongside ours.
From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
