alongside

American  

[uh-lawng-sahyd, uh-long-] / əˈlɔŋˈsaɪd, əˈlɒŋ- /

adverb

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

   We brought the boat alongside.

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preposition

1. beside; by the side of.

   The dog ran alongside me all the way.

2. Informal. alongside of, compared with.

   Alongside of his brother, he is no student at all.

alongside British  

/ əˈlɒŋˌsaɪd /

preposition

1. (often foll by of) along the side of; along beside

   alongside the quay

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adverb

1. along the side of some specified thing

   come alongside

Etymology

Origin of alongside

First recorded in 1700–10; along + side ¹

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

Talankin, 35, a videographer from a small-town Russian school, caused a sensation when he won the Academy Award for best documentary feature alongside US filmmaker David Borenstein in March.

From Barron's • May 1, 2026

Boss “talked up its sophisticated data-driven approach to inform the revised development” alongside its 3Q production result, says Wallington.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026

The 25-year-old, who studies fashion at Los Angeles Trade Technical College, now sits in an immigration detention facility in Texas, alongside her 47-year-old mother.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

The podcast was commissioned by the BBC to celebrate the Cornish language's recent upgrade to top level protection by the government – alongside Irish, Scottish Gaelic, and Welsh.

From BBC • May 1, 2026

The sketches make you feel as if you’re looking into the cadaver alongside Leonardo—that this body has been opened up in front of you.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day