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; be-, side ¹

Example Sentences

The plots sit vacant, with faded signs beside locked gates and security signs warning “Guard dogs in use. Trespassers will be prosecuted.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

Shortly after the Iran war started four weeks ago, farming executive Bikram Hundal was beside himself.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 29, 2026

“Whether investors believe these solutions actually pose a threat to existing cybersecurity vendors is pretty much beside the point,” he added.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 27, 2026

Strachan sat down beside her wearing a balaclava.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

And then I remember setting it on the bench beside me at the restaurant.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam