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

Noun

• digression
• divagation
• excursion
• 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

First, the stranger, who appeared to be attending the event as a fan, introduces himself as Marcus and asks to pull Angela aside. —Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 23 June 2025

The district has set aside $46 million for that possibility. —Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 23 June 2025

Noun

But its event this year seemed tighter than usual, with fewer of the athletes that regularly participate going off on verbal tangents or taking up time for humorous asides. —Brian Steinberg, Variety, 13 May 2025

There were the laugh-free auditions, the under-the-breath asides, the sphinx-like questions to interviewees who had sat on the couch in his outer office at 30 Rock for hours, listening as assistants booked helicopters to the Hamptons. —Susan Morrison, airmail.news, 22 Feb. 2025

Preposition

These include getting acquainted with insurance benefits, setting aside funds for unexpected medical expenses and identifying trusted caregivers, decision makers and health care proxies. —Manulife Singapore, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025

Set aside time for your hobbies and passions, as Venus enters Cancer on July 30. —Liz Simmons, StyleCaster, 24 June 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