sideburns

American

[sahyd-burnz] / ˈsaɪdˌbɜrnz /

plural noun

short whiskers extending from the hairline to below the ears and worn with an unbearded chin.
the projections of the hairline forming a border on the face in front of each ear.

sideburns British

/ ˈsaɪdˌbɜːnz /

plural noun

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

"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

Etymology

Origin of sideburns

1885–90, alteration of burnsides

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.

The fulcrum of a cultural transition from vibrancy to stagnation was the 1970s, an era remembered now, if at all, for leisure suits, burnt-orange shag carpeting and muttonchop sideburns.

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

“If I can bring sideburns back, that would be cool,” Mr. Sessa recently told Dazed Digital.

From New York Times • Jan. 23, 2024

Instantly recognisable with his flowing hair and sideburns, he won 55 caps between 1969 and 1981.

From BBC • Jan. 8, 2024

Somehow my dad's seventies sideburns and bushy 'stache didn't deter my mom from wanting to reproduce with him.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi

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