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

See Examples For:

beside

As we wound our way down the seaside road, the waters were calm and pristine beside us.

From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026

Put it beside a paper cup of mustard and you can eat it on the way to work.

From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026

At one point in the clip, the white pup gazes adoringly at the NFL star before hopping onto a couch to snuggle beside him while Kelce lovingly pets the pooch.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 7, 2026

His grandfather, Francisco, 74, who rode beside him in a straw cowboy hat, shook his head.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026

On the desk in the office, the paperwork I organized into folders is still stacked beside the computer, the book for signing out canoes still open to the last entry I recorded eleven days ago.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam