Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

besides

American  
[bih-sahydz] / bɪˈsaɪdz /

adverb

  1. moreover; furthermore; also.

    Besides, I promised her we would come.

    Synonyms:
    further
  2. in addition.

    There are three elm trees and two maples besides.

  3. otherwise; else.

    They had a roof over their heads but not much besides.


preposition

  1. over and above; in addition to.

    Besides a mother he has a sister to support.

  2. other than; except.

    There's no one here besides Bill and me.

besides British  
/ bɪˈsaɪdz /

preposition

  1. apart from; even considering

    besides costing too much, the scheme is impractical

"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

  1. anyway; moreover

"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

adverb

  1. as well

"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

Commonly Confused

See beside.

Synonym Usage

Besides, moreover both indicate something additional to what has already been stated. Besides often suggests that the addition is in the nature of an afterthought: The bill cannot be paid as yet; besides, the work is not completed. Moreover is more formal and implies that the addition is something particular, emphatic, or important: I did not like the house; moreover, it was too high-priced.

Etymology

Origin of besides

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English; see origin at beside, -s 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The school's programme has faced closure demands from former residents besides Hilton, and complaints were lodged to the state's licensing agency last month.

From BBC • Jul. 8, 2026

But there are reasons besides the calendar for investors to approach this corner of the market with caution.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 30, 2026

In travel news this week, all anyone in Europe could talk about, besides Cannes Lions and the resignation of British PM Keir Starmer, was the heat wave.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 26, 2026

If you have no other sources of taxable income besides Social Security, you pay no federal taxes in retirement, as Roth distributions aren’t taxable.

From Barron's • Jun. 24, 2026

“And I didn’t see anyone come out of that bathroom besides you.”

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember "besides" for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com