beside

[ bih-sahyd ]

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 ( defs 4, 5 ).

adverb

1. along the side of something:

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

2. besides ( def 2 ).

beside

/ 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. beside oneself
   postpositiveoften foll bywith overwhelmed; overwrought

   beside oneself with grief

adverb

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

Confusables Note

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of beside¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of beside¹

Old English be sīdan ; see by , side

Idioms and Phrases

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.

Example Sentences

Selma becomes a biopic in which the hero shines while those who worked beside him are overlooked or relegated to the sidelines.

From The Daily Beast

Dehydrated and feeling weary, Marino lay down beside another migrant under a tree and fell asleep.

From The Daily Beast

But the flaws and peccadilloes of Renaissance artists like Michelangelo pale beside the misdeeds of patrons and pontiffs.

From The Daily Beast

The artist came down and stood beside his patron to assess things.

From The Daily Beast

So they laid her on a bier, and all seven of them sat down beside it and wept and wept for three whole days.

From The Daily Beast

Beside her was a box of bonbons, which she held out at intervals to Madame Ratignolle.

From Project Gutenberg

There were other children beside, and two nurse-maids followed, looking disagreeable and resigned.

From Project Gutenberg

That they may know thee, as we also have known thee, that there is no God beside thee, O Lord.

From Project Gutenberg

None of the other scholars were asked, and when I entered the room there were only three persons in it beside Liszt.

From Project Gutenberg

Just as it disappeared from view he caught a glimpse of a charming little girl, peeping out of a latticed window beside the door.

From Project Gutenberg