aside

1 of 3

adverb

ə-ˈsīd 

1

: to or toward the side

stepped aside

2

: away from others or into privacy

pulled him aside

3

: out of the way especially for future use : away

putting aside savings

4

: away from one's thought or consideration

All kidding aside, we really need to get busy.

aside

2 of 3

noun

1

: an utterance not meant to be heard by someone

especially : an actor's speech heard by the audience but supposedly not by other characters

2

: a comment or discussion that does not relate directly to the main subject being discussed : digression

He frequently interrupted his narrative with amusing asides.

aside

3 of 3

preposition

obsolete

: beyond, past

Synonyms of aside

Noun

• tangent

Examples of aside in a Sentence

Adverb

He stepped aside and let her pass.

He threw his coat aside.

She laid the book aside.

He elbowed people aside as he moved through the crowd.

He took her aside to speak to her privately.

Someone grabbed him and pulled him aside.

Noun

She made a joke about the food in a muttered aside to her husband.

The book includes several lengthy asides about the personal lives of scientists involved in the project.

In his speech he mentioned her contributions almost as an aside, despite the fact that she was the one who came up with the idea originally.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

Transfer meatballs to a plate and set aside. —Cathy Thomas, Oc Register, 14 Apr. 2026

After this launch, all 10 remaining Atlas V rockets are set aside for Amazon’s Project Kuiper (4) or Boeing’s Starliner (6). —Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Apr. 2026

Noun

As an aside, often responses will come in that do attempt to diagnose a medical condition or remedy based on a brief description of a problem in a letter. —R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 13 Apr. 2026

As an aside, this could be Ja Morant’s final game on Memphis’ roster. —Joe Vardon, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2026

Preposition

Leaving aside personal liabilities, any presidential run undoubtedly will focus national attention on Illinois and Chicago’s dismal, perilous financial state. —Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026

Setting aside the many doubts raised by that 11,000-word New Yorker piece, OpenAI makes most of its money from consumers. —Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 7 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adverb

see side entry 1

Noun

see side entry 1

Preposition

see side entry 1

First Known Use

Adverb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

circa 1751, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Preposition

1592, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing aside

• aside from
• brush aside
• cast aside
• joking aside
• lay aside
• pull aside
• push aside
• put aside
• set-aside
• stand aside
• step aside
• sweep aside
• take (someone) aside
• wave aside

Rhymes for aside

• abide
• allied
• applied
• astride
• azide
• backside
• bankside
• bastide
• bayside
• bedside
• belied
• beside

Kids Definition

aside

1 of 2 adverb

ə-ˈsīd 

1

: to or toward the side

stepped aside

2

: out of the way especially for future use : away

put money aside for school

3

: away from one's thought or consideration

all kidding aside

aside

2 of 2 noun

: words meant not to be heard by someone

especially : an actor's words supposedly not heard by others on the stage