aside

American  

[uh-sahyd] / əˈsaɪd /

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.

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noun

• asides
  plural

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.

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.

aside British  

/ 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

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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

aside More Idioms  

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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• quasi-aside
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• asides
  plural

Etymology

Origin of aside

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

Explanation

If something's aside, it's not in the middle of things — it's off to the side, either literally or figuratively, as with the papers and books you push aside on the couch, to make room to sit. When you ignore your conscience, you're pushing your best instincts aside. You can put money aside, to save it for the future. In a play, when an actor steps out of character and speaks directly to the audience, that's an aside. The expression "all joking aside," means "stop kidding around and get serious" as in, "All joking aside, you're not really going bungee jumping, are you?"

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

aside asides

Smiling profile pictures aside, if they messaged job seekers en masse, they could steal users’ identities or hard-earned cash.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

Dean Chemerinsky said that when the justices pooh-poohed and batted aside aesthetic injury claims, that really raised questions for standing in a massive amount of environmental lawsuits.

From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026

“This case is about money Nick’s parents separately set aside for him alone and made irrevocable, to be paid to him on two fixed dates: one-half at 30, and the balance at 35.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

A Surrey council is poised to set aside £150,000 to support its most vulnerable residents through the winter months.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

For, screaming children aside, All Hallows’ Eve was already a most unsettling time.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

The pressure of the occasion, the scrutiny he will face, the deftness with which he handles questions, the attacks, the barbs, the asides, will all be key to how the public perceive him.

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026

Patterson and editor Patrick J. Smith interweave scenes of intrigue and shocking violence, take liberties with Amziah’s storytelling asides and give us barn-burning musical sequences.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

You get six letters that you must turn into as many words of four letters or more as you can; as you create words, you’ll uncover fun little asides and notes.

From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026

More notable is the shift in emphasis in her songwriting toward dramatic storytelling marked by clever and funny asides, a mix of attributes found in the best country songs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 5, 2026

She wrote with an endearing, intelligent voice, and her entries were filled with self-deprecating humor and witty, sardonic asides.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

Related Words

• alone
• away
• out
• separately