sideburns

American  

[sahyd-burnz] / ˈsaɪdˌbɜrnz /

plural noun

1. short whiskers extending from the hairline to below the ears and worn with an unbearded chin.

2. the projections of the hairline forming a border on the face in front of each ear.

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sideburns British  

/ ˈsaɪdˌbɜːnz /

plural noun

1. Also called: sideboards.   side whiskers.   sidelevers.  a man's whiskers grown down either side of the face in front of the ears

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Etymology

Origin of sideburns

1885–90, alteration of burnsides

Example Sentences

The man with unruly hair and sideburns in the centre of them, clad in a black leather jacket, hoisted a roaring chainsaw above his head.

From BBC • Oct. 14, 2025

Meanwhile, his own campaign team cares more about the length of his sideburns than ideas in his head.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 16, 2025

An era remembered now, if at all, for leisure suits, burnt-orange shag carpeting and muttonchop sideburns, it marked the passage from progress to reaction.

From Salon • Aug. 9, 2025

“Lauren is sure she doesn’t know what Gladstone’s sideburns looked like. What did Gladstone do? How racist was he? Does she have a problematic cat? This is perhaps not her most pressing issue.”

From Seattle Times • Apr. 8, 2024

Sandy-haired with long sideburns, the forty-two-year-old judge had a reputation for intelligence and fairness.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin