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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

beside

Data-center construction will, at the very least, become more expensive and complicated so the bottlenecks trade in power and chips has more question marks placed beside it, said the research firm’s report.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2026

Darryl Baker was shocked to see piles of clothes dumped beside the recycling bins outside her local supermarket.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026

The contrast is what makes this feel like a dish rather than a vegetable dutifully placed beside dinner.

From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2026

When Kennedy gave his victory speech at Los Angeles’s Ambassador Hotel, Huerta was standing beside him.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026

He crouches beside me, leans into my space to study my work.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

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