Dictionary.com

beside

[ bih-sahyd ]
/ bɪˈsaɪd /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for beside on Thesaurus.com
preposition
by or at the side of; near: Sit down beside me.
compared with: Beside him other writers seem amateurish.
apart from; not connected with: beside the point; beside the question.
besides (defs. 4, 5).
adverb
along the side of something: The family rode in the carriage, and the dog ran along beside.
besides (def. 2).
QUIZ
ALL IN FAVO(U)R OF THIS BRITISH VS. AMERICAN ENGLISH QUIZ
There's an ocean of difference between the way people speak English in the US vs. the UK. Are your language skills up to the task of telling the difference? Let's find out!
Question 1 of 7
True or false? British English and American English are only different when it comes to slang words.
true
false
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about beside

    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.

Origin of beside

before 1000; Middle English; earlier bi-siden,Old English bī sīdan, be sīdan;see be-, side1

words often confused with beside

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.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH beside

beside , besides (see usage note at the current entry)

Words nearby beside

set in one's ways, be, besetting, beshow, beshrew, Besht, beside, beside oneself, besides, beside the point, besiege, besieged
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to beside

abreast of, adjoining, alongside, aside, at one's elbow, by, cheek by jowl, close at hand, close upon, fornent, near, nearby, neck and neck, neighboring, next door to, nigh, opposite, overlooking, round, side by side

How to use beside in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for beside

beside
/ (bɪˈsaɪd) /
preposition
next to; at, by, or to the side of
as compared with
away from; wide ofbeside the point
archaic besides
beside oneself (postpositive often foll by with) overwhelmed; overwroughtbeside oneself with grief
adverb
at, by, to, or along the side of something or someone

Word Origin for beside

Old English be sīdan; see by, side
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
FEEDBACK