beside

American  

[bih-sahyd] / bɪˈsaɪd /

preposition

1. by or at the side of; near.

   Sit down beside me.

2. compared with.

   Beside him other writers seem amateurish.

3. apart from; not connected with.

   beside the point; beside the question.

4. besides.

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adverb

1. along the side of something.

   The family rode in the carriage, and the dog ran along beside.

2. besides.

idioms

1. beside oneself, almost out of one's senses from a strong emotion, as from joy, delight, anger, fear, or grief.

   He was beside himself with rage when the train left without him.

beside British  

/ bɪˈsaɪd /

preposition

1. next to; at, by, or to the side of

2. as compared with

3. away from; wide of

   beside the point

4. archaic besides

5. overwhelmed; overwrought

   beside oneself with grief

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adverb

1. at, by, to, or along the side of something or someone

Commonly Confused

For the prepositional meanings “over and above, in addition to” and “except” besides is preferred, especially in edited writing: Besides these honors he received a sum of money. We heard no other sound besides the breaking surf. However, beside sometimes occurs with these meanings as well.

Etymology

Origin of beside

before 1000; Middle English; earlier bi-siden, Old English bī sīdan, be sīdan; see be-, side ¹

Example Sentences

Beside him, his friend Kalidou Dia, 21, added that he was "really disappointed, the students did everything they could to help them win the elections".

From Barron's • Feb. 11, 2026

Beside it is a TV monitor on which their faces morph into one another, without audio.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 9, 2026

Beside him, another police officer holds an assault rifle.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 26, 2026

Beside her, Reyes' sister-in-law, cries as she describes how the three were arrested in November 2025.

From BBC • Jan. 12, 2026

Beside him is a woman in a long flowery-patterned dress, tightly tied-up plaits crossed over her head and a face that looks to be held in place almost as tightly as her hair.

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler