besides

American

[bih-sahydz] / bɪˈsaɪdz /

adverb

moreover; furthermore; also.

Besides, I promised her we would come.

Synonyms:

further
in addition.

There are three elm trees and two maples besides.
otherwise; else.

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

preposition

over and above; in addition to.

Besides a mother he has a sister to support.
other than; except.

There's no one here besides Bill and me.

besides British

/ bɪˈsaɪdz /

preposition

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

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

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.

Related Words

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.

But besides both being viruses, the similarities between SARS-CoV-2 and hantavirus actually aren’t close.

From Salon • May 11, 2026

The other 10 points, besides the four touchdowns and field goal, were given out equally for victories in side competitions in between the first and second quarters and third and fourth quarters.

From Los Angeles Times • May 2, 2026

Then the representative wanted so many details besides her confirmation code.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026

Talking to a professional will not cost you anything besides their fee and you’ll likely walk away with some information you wouldn’t have found yourself.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 29, 2026

“And besides, the cat is not the problem; Dad not knowing he exists is merely a symptom of what’s wrong with this family.”

From "Liar, Liar" by Gary Paulsen

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023