adverb
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moving, facing, or inclining towards one side
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from one side; obliquely
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with one side forward
adjective
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moving or directed to or from one side
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towards or from one side
Etymology
Origin of sideways
Explanation
When something occurs on or in the direction of one side, it happens sideways. You can lean over sideways to see if your cat's hiding under the bed, or tip a teapot sideways to pour the last drops out. Sideways works as an adjective or adverb to describe things that lean toward one side or at an angle. A sideways tilt to a motorcycle might look scary, but it's safe if the rider is experienced. You can also use this word figuratively for "indirect" or "unconventional." So you might describe a movie that approaches serious subjects from a sideways perspective, using comedy. Sideways dates from the mid-16th century.
Vocabulary lists containing sideways
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.
But then Reece receives a phone call from Catherine, knocking all first impressions sideways.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
During the early days of the tobacco lawsuits, the tobacco companies were declaring up, down, and sideways that they didn’t know any of this, that they were just doing the best they could.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026
He looked sideways at CEOs’ request for industry regulation, saying that the move might be a “Trojan Horse” masking their true intentions.
From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2026
This small sideways displacement is the optical equivalent of the Magnus effect that makes a spinning table tennis ball curve through the air.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026
He was simply going to walk four steps sideways over to the next line, one that had candy bars and things.
From "All About Sam" by Lois Lowry
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
