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

Dr Cat Barlow, CEO of the charity Restoring Upland Nature, will lead a public consultation into a release alongside Forestry England.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

For Geffen co-stars Beatty and Hatendi, it has been a privilege to work alongside two people who knew Fugard so intimately and understood apartheid South Africa so thoroughly.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026

Treasury yields first surged alongside oil prices, as investors worried that higher energy costs would lift inflation and make it harder for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

Supply chains and rules of origin—in autos and non-autos—are big agenda items, alongside foreign investment.

From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026

He insisted on staying with Marlene, on walking alongside her, holding her trunk, and there was no arguing with him.

From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo