be·side
bi-ˈsīd 
bē-
1
a
: by the side of
walk beside me
a house beside a small lake
b
: in comparison with
potential complications are minor beside the benefits
c
: on a par with
a composition that can be ranked beside that of the masters
2
: not relevant to
but that's beside the point
3
: besides
No one knows beside me.
learning other languages beside French and English
see also:
Examples of beside in a Sentence
Preposition
She sat beside him during dinner.
The man beside her was wearing a brown suit and hat.
They were walking beside me.
Stand beside the statue and I'll take your picture.
Their house is beside a small lake.
These problems seem unimportant beside the potential benefits of the new system.
Recent Examples on the Web
Bruna Horvath, NBC news, 25 Mar. 2026
And nothing compares to waking up beside Alice Lake, where sunrise casts the 9,899-foot El Capitan in pale honey light—an image almost perfectly mirrored in gently lapping water below.
—Madison Chapman, Outside, 25 Mar. 2026
Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2026
The good news is that the France international enjoyed a good loan spell at Juventus in the second half of last season — mostly under Tudor — scoring 10 goals across 19 matches in the league and Club World Cup, occasionally playing beside or behind Dusan Vlahovic.
—Thom Harris, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for beside
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Preposition
Videos of the first lady walking beside the robot quickly went viral online and accumulated hundreds of thousands of views and curious comments from social media users, but little was said about who made the robot and what it’s used for.
—Bruna Horvath, NBC news, 25 Mar. 2026
And nothing compares to waking up beside Alice Lake, where sunrise casts the 9,899-foot El Capitan in pale honey light—an image almost perfectly mirrored in gently lapping water below.
—Madison Chapman, Outside, 25 Mar. 2026
Adverb
Above, beside and below the drum are hidden compartments that carry various seasonings and sauces that automatically drop into the wok according to specific recipes.
—Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2026
The good news is that the France international enjoyed a good loan spell at Juventus in the second half of last season — mostly under Tudor — scoring 10 goals across 19 matches in the league and Club World Cup, occasionally playing beside or behind Dusan Vlahovic.
—Thom Harris, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for beside
Cite this Entry
“Beside.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beside. Accessed 26 Mar. 2026.
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