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

The top two teams from each of the 12 groups qualify automatically for the knockout rounds, alongside the best eight of the third-place teams, ranked by points and goal differential.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 25, 2026

The hush-hush raves that require knowing someone and slinking into condemned warehouses have always happened alongside parties thrown by big-name promoters.

From Slate • Jun. 25, 2026

“Moreover, the rapidly increasing equity supply expected over the coming quarters, alongside potentially tighter monetary policy, could constrain equity multiples,” the strategists said.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 24, 2026

Venegas, who De Los interviewed last month, wrote a memoir alongside this album, which delves into her Tijuana heritage with Mexican collaborators like Bronco, is what Martinez calls “a chef’s kiss.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 24, 2026

Akira gasped and quickly steered Dodger into the ditch alongside the road.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz