aside

[uh-sahyd]

adverb

1. on or to one side; to or at a short distance apart; away from some position or direction.

   to turn aside; to move the chair aside.

2. away from one's thoughts or consideration.

   to put one's cares aside.

3. in reserve; in a separate place, as for safekeeping; apart; away.

   to put some money aside for a rainy day.

4. away from a present group, especially for reasons of privacy; off to another part, as of a room; into or to a separate place.

   He took him aside and talked business.

5. in spite of; put apart; notwithstanding.

   all kidding aside; unusual circumstances aside.

noun

1. a part of an actor's lines supposedly not heard by others on the stage and intended only for the audience.

2. words spoken so as not to be heard by others present.

3. a temporary departure from a main theme or topic, especially a parenthetical comment or remark; short digression.

aside

/ əˈsaɪd /

adverb

1. on or to one side

   they stood aside to let him pass

2. out of hearing; in or into seclusion

   he took her aside to tell her of his plan

3. away from oneself

   he threw the book aside

4. out of mind or consideration

   he put aside all fears

5. in or into reserve

   to put aside money for old age

6. (preposition)

   1. besides

      he has money aside from his possessions

   2. except for Compare apart

      he has nothing aside from the clothes he stands in

noun

1. something spoken by an actor, intended to be heard by the audience, but not by the others on stage

2. any confidential statement spoken in undertones

3. a digression

Other Word Forms

• quasi-aside adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of aside¹

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; a- ¹, side ¹

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. aside from,

   1. apart from; besides; excluding.

      Aside from her salary, she receives money from investments.

   2. except for.

      They had no more food, aside from a few stale rolls.

see all joking aside; lay aside; set aside; take aside.

Example Sentences

Cohen, however, says he isn’t going down without a fight and has no plans to step aside.

Read more on Salon

West is looking to set aside about three months’ worth of expenses to cover the relocation.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Describing a landscape with streaming services filled with genre mash-ups — comedy thrillers or comedy dramas — aside from stand-up specials, Reich sees a gap in the market for comedy that exists only as comedy.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The State Center Community College District, home to Reedley and three other colleges, has set aside $4 million of its own budget to cover lost federal funding.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The high court ruling set aside a Los Angeles judge’s temporary restraining order that barred agents from stopping people based in part on their race or apparent ethnicity.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• alone 
• away 
• out 
• separately