beside

[bih-sahyd]

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.

adverb

1. along the side of something.

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

2. besides.

beside

/ 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

adverb

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

Confusables Note

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of beside¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of beside¹

Old English be sīdan ; see _by , _side

Idioms and Phrases

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.

Example Sentences

All staff left the building beside the River Clyde when a fire alarm sounded at about 06:30.

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The next day, Mr Graham's group's public page, which has thousands of followers, posted Kevin's picture beside that of the other man, a convicted offender, saying they were the same person.

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"US is supporting us. US is working beside us."

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Hulkenberg's car was left damaged beside the track.

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“The U.S. is hearing us, U.S. is supporting us, U.S. is walking beside us,” he said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal