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

When Nvidia reports earnings on Wednesday, the numbers will be almost beside the point.

From MarketWatch • May 18, 2026

In many ways, the question of whether there is a signed contract is beside the point.

From Salon • May 18, 2026

I'm driving a car, sitting beside a young fella who was going to be going across to play for Everton.

From BBC • May 15, 2026

Imagine that, this driven personality in a Clippers uniform, a less-reticent star beside Leonard — and a Thunder team that wasn’t built to absolutely terrorize the league for years to come.

From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2026

Moshom and Kathy sat down to wait for their frybread beside the group playing DnD.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith