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.

Norris touched the Red Bull, damaging the McLaren's front wing endplate, and that bounced him side-on into Piastri, whose momentum was checked, allowing Norris to move ahead into third place.

From BBC • Oct. 5, 2025

The only footage that exists is grainy video shot side-on from one television camera.

From BBC • Feb. 4, 2021

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

I noticed that many of the older, stone houses, in ruins now, are built side-on to the sea – protection from the weather taking priority over the spectacular view in former times.

From The Guardian • Aug. 5, 2017

The canoe took a wave side-on and turned completely over.

From The Merriweather Girls and the Mystery of the Queen's Fan by Edholm, Lizette M.

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