aside

adverb \ ə-ˈsīd \

Updated on: 17 Apr 2018

Definition of aside

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.

See aside defined for English-language learners

See aside defined for kids

Examples of aside in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of aside from the Web

Leave aside that most of the team’s problems in those years could be attributed to a total atrophy of the pitching staff and some woeful drafting; as the face of the franchise, Mauer unfairly took most of the heat.

— jon tayler, SI.com, "Let's Appreciate Joe Mauer After His 2,000th Hit," 13 Apr. 2018
Jennifer Hart pulled the girl aside and the child agreed to leave, the report says.

— keith allen, CNN, "Hart family left shortly after child services visited, neighbor told agency," 13 Apr. 2018
Science aside, the lipstick's pigmentation is just as intense as its glow.

— devon abelman, Allure, "The New INC.redible Real Neon Lip Paint Is the First-Ever Fluorescent Liquid Lipstick," 12 Apr. 2018
Leaving the difficulties of enforcement aside, those principles might include a right to know which companies have data about you, the right to delete that information and the right to be notified when there is a data breach.

— katy steinmetz, Time, "Congress Never Wanted to Regulate Facebook. Until Now," 12 Apr. 2018
Ideology aside, many Hungarians voted with their wallets.

— The Economist, "Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orban, wins another landslide," 12 Apr. 2018
New Orleans' medical staff issues aside, the fact three teams pursued Meredith likely signifies a confidence Meredith can return to health fully for 2018.

— larry holder, NOLA.com, "Cameron Meredith acquisition offers Saints more NFL Draft flexibility," 11 Apr. 2018
As explained by design director Mehrdad Yazdani, the Kraemer design used technology in a way that sought to, in essence, push technology aside.

— patrick sisson, Curbed, "How Yazdani Studio creates buildings that shape culture," 11 Apr. 2018
Robinson aside, Balch ghost-wrote a letter from then-Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange, which argued against the EPA’s proposal to expand the 35th Avenue site.

— ian graber-stiehl, The Root, "Eau de Bull, Again: Good Ole Boys Have ‘No Concerns About Anything Inappropriate’ in Environmental-Racism Case," 11 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'aside.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of aside

see ¹side

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

aside

noun

Definition of aside

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.

See aside defined for English-language learners

Examples of aside in a Sentence

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 of aside from the Web

The dialogue between Facebook’s CEO and the members of the Senate Judiciary and Commerce Committees that has followed over the next several hours covered wide and sometimes disjointed ground, with some unexpected asides and unclear arguments.

— rachel gutman, The Atlantic, "The 13 Strangest Moments From the Zuckerberg Hearing," 10 Apr. 2018
Litt, who currently writes for the comedy site Funny or Die, tells a story loaded with clever asides and amusing behind-the-curtain anecdotes.

— gilbert garcia, San Antonio Express-News, "Former Obama speechwriter brings his story to SA Book Festival," 5 Apr. 2018
The Advancement and Technology Fund contains money over and above required set-asides to prevent proration.

— trisha powell crain, AL.com, "A closer look at Alabama's $6.63 billion education budget, largest in a decade," 3 Apr. 2018
Too little openness, too few negotiations on basics such as distance from curbs to the casino, setbacks, distance from river set-asides.

— john baer, Philly.com, "He's Philly's longest-serving member of the Pa. House Irish-American Caucus," 16 Mar. 2018
Two bills that would have created set asides in the state forests — including a bill by Sen. Eric Bassler, R-Washington, that attracted the support of a nearly a dozen other lawmakers — died in committee.

— emily hopkins, Indianapolis Star, "Can cutting trees be good for Indiana forests? Or is it just about timber profits?," 11 Feb. 2018
After more than three hours of recesses, asides and private conferences on Thursday, Nolan re-entered the courtroom in shackles and asked the judge to recuse herself.

— scott wartman, Cincinnati.com, "Tim Nolan, judge accused of human trafficking, trying to withdraw guilty plea: 'What is going on?'," 29 Mar. 2018
Andre’s self-deprecating asides have the wisdom of Buddhist koans.

— patty rhule, USA TODAY, "Review: New Oprah pick 'An American Marriage' is brilliant, timely," 6 Feb. 2018
There are ridiculous asides, both visual and conversational, all of which are calculated to imbue the program with a sense of informality that feels unnatural.

— john anderson, WSJ, "‘Sex & Love Around the World’ Review: Christiane Amanpour Channels Oprah," 15 Mar. 2018

Origin and Etymology of aside

see ¹side

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1751

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

aside Synonyms

Synonyms

digression, excursion, tangent;

aside

preposition

Definition of aside

obsolete

: beyond, past

Origin and Etymology of aside

see ¹side

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1592

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

ASIDE Defined for English Language Learners

aside

adverb

Definition of aside for English Language Learners

: to or toward the side
—used with put or set to describe something that is being kept or saved for a future use
—used to say that something is not included in a statement that follows

aside

noun

Definition of aside for English Language Learners

: a comment spoken by a character in a play that is heard by the audience but is supposedly not heard by other characters on stage
: a comment that is spoken quietly to someone so that it cannot be heard by other people who are present
: a comment or discussion that does not relate directly to the main subject being discussed