beyond

American  

[bee-ond, bih-yond] / biˈɒnd, bɪˈjɒnd /

preposition

1. on, at, or to the farther side of.

   Beyond those trees you'll find his house.

2. farther on than; more distant than.

   beyond the horizon;

   beyond the sea.

3. outside the understanding, limits, or reach of; past.

   beyond comprehension;

   beyond endurance;

   beyond help.

4. superior to; surpassing; above.

   wise beyond all others.

5. more than; in excess of; over and above.

   to stay beyond one's welcome.

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adverb

1. farther on or away.

   as far as the house and beyond.

idioms

1. the beyond,

   1. that which is at a great distance.

   2. Also the great beyond the afterlife; life after death.

beyond British  

/ bɪˈjɒnd /

preposition

1. at or to a point on the other side of; at or to the further side of

   beyond those hills there is a river

2. outside the limits or scope of

   beyond this country's jurisdiction

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adverb

1. at or to the other or far side of something

2. outside the limits of something

noun

1. the unknown; the world outside the range of human perception, esp life after death in certain religious beliefs

beyond More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing beyond

• above and beyond
• back of beyond
• can't see beyond the end of one's nose

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Other Word Forms

• beyondness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of beyond

First recorded before 1000; Middle English beyonden, Old English begeondan. See be-, yond (adverb)

Explanation

Beyond is an adverb that means “in addition” or “farther along." If you’re headed to the silo beyond the barn, that means you’re going to the silo that’s on the far side of the barn. Beyond is related to the word yonder, which you might have heard in expressions like, “Over yonder hill, you’ll see a picket fence.” Yonder kind of means “that one over there, in the distance.” Beyond is past yonder. If you’re going above and beyond, it means you’re doing more than was expected. If you’re beyond Kelly in your math homework, it means you’ve done more than she has. And if the show was beyond your expectations, it was better than you had hoped.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

beyond

“The results of AB 66 and this first phase go beyond my wildest imaginations,” said Boerner, who hopes this proof of concept lays the groundwork for a future statewide alert system.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

It’s a step beyond what he called the 3.0 platform/ecosystem models like Amazon, whose heavy investments have often depressed profits to gain more intrinsic value later.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026

Guest: Arelis Hernández, reporter at the Washington Post covering the U.S. southern border, immigration, Texas and beyond.

From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026

Denning also includes intuition, gut feelings, imagination, and spontaneous creativity among the forms of tacit knowledge that remain beyond the reach of machines.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026

Out, perhaps thirty yards or more beyond the camp area, but close enough for the fire to shine in their eyes—the others.

From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen