alongside
Americanadverb
preposition
-
beside; by the side of.
The dog ran alongside me all the way.
-
Informal. alongside of, compared with.
Alongside of his brother, he is no student at all.
preposition
adverb
Etymology
Origin of alongside
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The announcement comes alongside the Royal Household publishing its annual financial report.
From BBC • Jun. 26, 2026
That reflects the impact of Comet Ridge’s share placement and share purchase plan, alongside project delays and an assessment of the company’s future equity requirements.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 26, 2026
Graduate students Naoyuki Harada, Hayato Shoyama, and Nutnicha Boonmong worked alongside Sasaki and then-Assistant Professor Kiichi Mizukami of Kyushu University's Faculty of Engineering to consolidate years of research into a final publication.
From Science Daily • Jun. 26, 2026
The agreement only explicitly suspends Iranian tolls for the 60-day duration and calls for Iran and Oman to “conduct dialogue” about strait management alongside other Persian Gulf states and “in line with applicable international law.”
From MarketWatch • Jun. 26, 2026
I pull the team up alongside the river to rest them under some overhanging willows.
From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
