besides

American  

[bih-sahydz] / bɪˈsaɪdz /

adverb

1. moreover; furthermore; also.

   Besides, I promised her we would come.

   Synonyms:

   further

2. in addition.

   There are three elm trees and two maples besides.

3. otherwise; else.

   They had a roof over their heads but not much besides.

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preposition

1. over and above; in addition to.

   Besides a mother he has a sister to support.

2. other than; except.

   There's no one here besides Bill and me.

besides British  

/ bɪˈsaɪdz /

preposition

1. apart from; even considering

   besides costing too much, the scheme is impractical

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1. anyway; moreover

adverb

1. as well

Commonly Confused

See beside.

Synonym Usage

Besides, moreover both indicate something additional to what has already been stated. Besides often suggests that the addition is in the nature of an afterthought: The bill cannot be paid as yet; besides, the work is not completed. Moreover is more formal and implies that the addition is something particular, emphatic, or important: I did not like the house; moreover, it was too high-priced.

Etymology

Origin of besides

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English; see origin at beside, -s ¹

Example Sentences

Dario Perkins, an economist at TS Lombard, says the bulls are premature in claiming they have won the AI capital-expenditure debate, and, besides, two looming factors suggest a market pullback is likely.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 5, 2026

But several point out that it offers benefits besides financial resources.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026

You can drop off a ballot for someone besides yourself as long as you’ve been authorized to do so and you’re not getting paid on a per-ballot basis, according to the secretary of state.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 2026

That failure can be attributed to multiple factors besides Johnson’s performance.

From Salon • May 27, 2026

It stopped and started a conversation, though Nathan was absolutely certain that there was no one else besides the two of them.

From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young