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.

---

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

---

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

See Examples For:

alongside

It features Michelle Yeoh as one of the franchise’s artificial-human replicants, who stars alongside Hunter Schafer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026

New Great British Bake Off presenter Nigella Lawson is also on the front page alongside a chocolate cake, as she says "eating is my superpower."

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

Julia Garner, who previously played scammer Anna Delvey, is unrecognizable as Bankman-Fried’s girlfriend, Caroline Ellison, who committed fraud alongside him.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026

It’s found in a softened honey butter alongside house-made focaccia and sourdough.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

I pull the team up alongside the river to rest them under some overhanging willows.

From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen