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

Allow bok choy to cool completely before removing from ice bath, then set aside. —Bethany Thayer, Freep.com, 6 Dec. 2025

Branding aside, both Hays and Parker said Fort Worth leaders have spent years planning for the World Cup and coming up with a strategy for maximizing the tournament’s economic impact. —Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Dec. 2025

Noun

As an aside, a well-qualified borrower would need $159,000 in annual income to buy a $1,041,000 home with 20% down, maxing the conforming loan amount at $832,750. —Jeff Lazerson, Oc Register, 26 Nov. 2025

As an aside, there were more gifts of shoes and apparel under the tree last year from ON than any other brand, including Vuori (one of my wife's favorites) and more than Lululemon, a perennial favorite in prior to 2023. —Michael Khouw, CNBC, 17 Nov. 2025

Preposition

With health savings accounts, people who pay high out-of-pocket costs for health insurance are able to set aside money, without paying taxes, for medical expenses. —Amanda Seitz, Fortune, 5 Dec. 2025

Beyond rocketry, Polidoro points to pharmaceutical research, where scientists may set aside a highly effective compound because of toxicity, explore alternatives, solve the toxicity problem separately, and later return stronger. —Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 5 Dec. 2025

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