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definitions

side

1
[sahyd]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR side ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

adjective

Verb Phrases past and past participle sid·ed, present participle sid·ing.

side with/against, to favor or support or refuse to support one group, opinion, etc., against opposition; take sides, as in a dispute: He always sides with the underdog.

Idioms

    on the side, Informal.
    1. separate from the main issue or point of interest.
    2. in addition to one's regular, or known work, interest, relationships, etc.: She tried selling cosmetics on the side. He dates another girl on the side.
    3. as a side dish: a hamburger with French fries on the side.
    on the (adjective) side, rather more than less; tending toward (the quality or condition specified): This cake is a little on the sweet side.
    side by side,
    1. next to one another; together.
    2. closely associated or related; in proximity: A divided city in which democracy and communism must live side by side.
    take sides, to give one's support to one person or group in a dispute; be partial to one side: We were careful not to take sides for fear of getting personally involved.
    the far side, the farther or opposite side: the far side of the moon.

Origin of side

1
before 900; Middle English; Old English sīde (noun); cognate with Dutch zijde, German Seite, Old Norse sītha
Related formsside·less, adjective
Can be confusedside sighed

Synonyms for side

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR side ON THESAURUS.COM
23. minor, lesser.

side

2
[sahyd]

adjective Scot. and North England.

(especially of a woman's dress or a man's beard) long and loose-flowing.

Origin of side

2
before 900; Middle English; Old English sīd ample, large, extending lengthwise; cognate with Old Norse sīthr long, Low German sied low
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for side

sector, bottom, top, surface, hand, part, front, face, border, rear, view, position, party, faction, team, incidental, postern, oblique, roundabout, subsidiary

Examples from the Web for side

Contemporary Examples of side

Historical Examples of side

  • Her father rode by her side, and a numerous train of attendants followed.

    Philothea

    Lydia Maria Child

  • His nephew, with his coat stripped off, was sitting on the side of the bed.

    Brave and Bold

    Horatio Alger

  • I fancy, now, there's not a good waiter this side of New York.

    The Spenders

    Harry Leon Wilson

  • I fetched up at an exit on the side street, and there they were directly in front of me.

    The Spenders

    Harry Leon Wilson

  • He led her, unresisting, around to the couch at the other side of the table.

    The Spenders

    Harry Leon Wilson

British Dictionary definitions for side

side

noun

a line or surface that borders anything
geometry
  1. any line segment forming part of the perimeter of a plane geometric figure
  2. another name for face (def. 13)
either of two parts into which an object, surface, area, etc, can be divided, esp by a line, median, space, etcthe right side and the left side Related adjective: lateral
either of the two surfaces of a flat objectthe right and wrong side of the cloth
a surface or part of an object that extends verticallythe side of a cliff
either half of a human or animal body, esp the area around the waist, as divided by the median planeI have a pain in my side
the area immediately next to a person or thinghe stood at her side
a district, point, or direction within an area identified by reference to a central pointthe south side of the city
the area at the edge of a room, road, etc, as distinguished from the middle
aspect or partlook on the bright side; his cruel side
one of two or more contesting factions, teams, etc
a page in an essay, book, etc
a position, opinion, etc, held in opposition to another in a dispute
line of descenthe gets his brains from his mother's side
informal a television channel
billiards snooker spin imparted to a ball by striking it off-centre with the cueUS and Canadian equivalent: English
British slang insolence, arrogance, or pretentiousnessto put on side
on one side set apart from the rest, as provision for emergencies, etc, or to avoid muddling
on the heavy side tending to be too heavy
on the side
  1. apart from or in addition to the main object
  2. as a sideline
  3. USas a side dish
  4. bit on the side See bit 1 (def. 11)
side by side
  1. close together
  2. (foll by with)beside or near to
take sides to support one group, opinion, etc, as against another

adjective

being on one side; lateral
from or viewed as if from one side
directed towards one side
not main; subordinate or incidentalside door; side road

verb

(intr usually foll by with) to support or associate oneself with a faction, interest, etc
(tr) to provide with siding or sides
(tr; often foll by away or up) Northern English dialect to tidy up or clear (dishes, a table, etc)

Word Origin for side

Old English sīde; related to sīd wide, Old Norse sītha side, Old High German sīta
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
Word Origin and History for side
n.

Old English side "flanks of a person, the long part or aspect of anything," from Proto-Germanic *sithon (cf. Old Saxon sida, Old Norse siða, Danish side, Swedish sida, Middle Dutch side, Dutch zidje, Old High German sita, German Seite), from adjective *sithas "long" (cf. Old English sid "long, broad, spacious," Old Norse siðr "long, hanging down"), from PIE root *se- "long, late" (see soiree).

Original sense preserved in countryside. Figurative sense of "position or attitude of a person or set of persons in relation to another" (cf. choosing sides) first recorded mid-13c. Meaning "one of the parties in a transaction" is from late 14c.; sense in a sporting contest or game is from 1690s. Meaning "music on one side of a phonograph record" is first attested 1936. Phrase side by side "close together and abreast" is recorded from c.1200. Side-splitting "affecting with compulsive laughter" is attested by 1825.

v.

late 15c., "to cut into sides" (of meat), from side (n.). Meaning "to support one of the parties in a discussion, dispute, etc.," is first attested 1590s, from side (n.) in the figurative sense; earlier to hold sides (late 15c.). Related: Sided; siding.

adj.

late 14c., from side (n.).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with side

side

In addition to the idioms beginning with side

  • side against
  • side by side
  • side of the tracks
  • side street
  • side with

also see:

  • blind spot (side)
  • bright side
  • can't hit the broad side of a barn
  • choose up (sides)
  • get on someone's good side
  • get up on the wrong side of bed
  • in good with (on someone's good side)
  • know which side of bread is buttered
  • laugh out of the other side of one's mouth
  • let someone (the side) down
  • on someone's side
  • on the safe side
  • on the side
  • on the side of the angels
  • other side of the coin
  • right side of the tracks
  • right-side out
  • right-side up
  • seamy side
  • split one's sides
  • sunny-side up
  • take aside (to one side)
  • take sides
  • this side of
  • thorn in one's flesh (side)
  • work both sides of the street
  • wrong side of
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.