side-on

American

[sahyd-on, -awn] / ˈsaɪdˈɒn, -ˈɔn /

adjective

(of two objects) meeting with the sides foremost.

adverb

with the side or sides foremost, especially in a collision.

The other car struck me side-on.

Etymology

Origin of side-on

First recorded in 1905–10

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.

See Examples For:

side-on

Video shows the British Airways passenger aircraft wobbling and approaching the runway almost side-on, before taking off again.

From BBC ● Feb. 26, 2024

Observers watched as aircraft approached the runway almost side-on.

From BBC ● Dec. 21, 2023

Plotting the distances in 3D produces a trace of the Galaxy’s spiral arms, and shows how the disk warps at its farthest reaches, forming an S-shape when seen side-on.

From Nature ● Aug. 6, 2019

One limitation of the K2 mission is that Kepler must keep the Sun side-on as it orbits, forcing the telescope to switch its field of view roughly every 80 days.

From Nature ● Oct. 20, 2014

I caught sight of the old man side-on and I saw he was hurt by something more than a punch.

From The Readjustment by Will Irwin

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