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 her, occasionally caressed by the women, stood eight-year-old Mustafa, his expression as fragile as glass.

From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026

Beside him on the podium was compatriot Johan-Olav Botn, who dedicated his gold medal to their late team-mate Sivert Guttorm Bakken after his death in December.

From BBC • 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 her was her husband, Justin Bieber, in a gray hoodie with matching shorts and a pink cap.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 9, 2025

Beside it was a photo of the same spot, though the paper had turned ocher with age, with a boy hanging upside down from those same branches while Ishtar laughed at his antics.

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda