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

See Examples For:

beside

When you burrow this deep into the subconscious, logic is beside the point.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

Hours later, she was still smiling - posing beside riot officers, flashing victory signs, filming through crowds and even interviewing an injured protester.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

Working in food, my office is quite literally the kitchen: I write at a repurposed steel prep table, with my laptop on top and Dutch ovens stored below, that sits directly beside the stove.

From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026

"Before the war, we were the ones calling factories, trying to sell our material," Romany told AFP, standing beside towering bales of compressed plastic.

From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026

Next to me had sat my other sister, Nollie, and Willem, the only boy in the family, there beside Father.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom