beside

American  

[bih-sahyd] / bɪˈsaɪd /

preposition

1. by or at the side of; near.

   Sit down beside me.

2. compared with.

   Beside him other writers seem amateurish.

3. apart from; not connected with.

   beside the point; beside the question.

4. besides.

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adverb

1. along the side of something.

   The family rode in the carriage, and the dog ran along beside.

2. besides.

idioms

1. beside oneself, almost out of one's senses from a strong emotion, as from joy, delight, anger, fear, or grief.

   He was beside himself with rage when the train left without him.

beside British  

/ bɪˈsaɪd /

preposition

1. next to; at, by, or to the side of

2. as compared with

3. away from; wide of

   beside the point

4. archaic besides

5. overwhelmed; overwrought

   beside oneself with grief

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adverb

1. at, by, to, or along the side of something or someone

Commonly Confused

For the prepositional meanings “over and above, in addition to” and “except” besides is preferred, especially in edited writing: Besides these honors he received a sum of money. We heard no other sound besides the breaking surf. However, beside sometimes occurs with these meanings as well.

Etymology

Origin of beside

before 1000; Middle English; earlier bi-siden, Old English bī sīdan, be sīdan; see be-, side ¹

Example Sentences

During one particularly active stretch last weekend, one post showed Trump riding horseback beside George Washington, next to a race car, with the White House in the background.

From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026

Jesse told The Times over a phone call on Thursday evening, with Ashley beside him as she recovered from her procedure, that sharing the diagnosis online happened accidentally.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026

Waldorf settled into a small hospital room, her husband glued to the vinyl couch beside her, both reeling from the impending loss of what would have been their second daughter.

From Salon • May 27, 2026

In that bitter January darkness of a Manchester elementary school parking lot, several dozen voters clustered in line beside me to get into the gym just as the polls opened.

From Slate • May 26, 2026

I hear him tell me, like he’s right beside me, to stop wasting my time on “that ugly stump of a plant.”

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam