beside

preposition

be·side | \ bi-ˈsīd

, bē-\

Definition of beside

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : 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 : besides No one knows beside me. learning other languages beside French and English

3 : not relevant to but that's beside the point

beside oneself

: in a state of extreme excitement

beside

adverb

Definition of beside (Entry 2 of 2)

1 archaic : nearby

2 archaic : besides

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about beside

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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: Preposition

This dutiful canine belonged to the man beside him, Vincent Massey. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "Queen Elizabeth Once Let a Dog Carry Her Handbag," 1 Mar. 2019 Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan often delivers speeches in front of images of Atatürk, who is pictured here beside Mr. Erdogan’s own image in an address to his party in Ankara in September. — David Gauthier-villars, WSJ, "A Craze for Atatürk Gives New Cachet to Turkey’s Founding Father," 22 Feb. 2019 Courtesy of Harper’s Playground Her frustration prompted her to start the Magical Bridge Foundation and open up an inclusive playground in 2015 where Ava could play beside other children. — Megan Barber, Curbed, "Why cities need accessible playgrounds," 20 July 2018 Suddenly, Watson reached for his phone and came closer to Scott as the caddie lowered himself to the ground beside the water. — Kelli Stacy, courant.com, "Bubba Watson's Caddie Catches Frog During Pro-am," 20 June 2018 SpaceX intends to manufacture the BFR components beside the water for easy shipping to test sites and launch pads. — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, "It’s official: SpaceX will build its monster rocket in California," 16 Apr. 2018 Another child seated beside her in a Honda Accord was uninjured. — David Mcfadden, Fox News, "Police: 7-year-old Baltimore girl shot in car has died," 19 July 2018 The student’s mother, a physician who was seated beside him in the car, also was killed. — Michael Collins, USA TODAY, "Former Blackwater guard goes on trial for second time for role in mass shooting in Iraq," 18 June 2018 One sunny morning in September 1957, a line of military trucks drove down a narrow lane beside a lake in the foothills of the Ural Mountains, the chain that divides European Russia from Siberia. — Fred Pearce, Time, "How the 'Compulsive Secrecy’ of the Atomic Age Has Changed the Way We Think," 22 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb

Meanwhile, deputies in South Carolina had found an unidentified woman whose nude body was dumped in the woods beside I-85 in May 1998, Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Lt. — Jeffrey Collins, The Seattle Times, "After 20 years police in 2 states link dead mother and son," 6 Feb. 2019 An attendant sits beside fuel pumps at a Bharat Petroleum gas station in Mumbai, India, in June. — Saumya Vaishampayan, WSJ, "India Can Thank Crude’s Slump for a Soaring Stock Market," 27 Nov. 2018 There are even tiny white slippers tucked beside with it, sweetly and almost discreetly. — Jill Gleeson, Good Housekeeping, "Menopause Doesn't Make Me Invisible," 5 Oct. 2018 Live roaches are on floor beside and behind cooler under racks stored on floor. — David J. Neal, miamiherald, "Rodent poop in a fruit bowl, near soup, on shelves. These restaurants are in deep ...," 7 June 2018 Outside, another pool, with its own waterfall, sits beside beautiful formal gardens. — Bridget Mallon, ELLE Decor, "Beyoncé and Jay Z Have Found Their New Los Angeles Home," 7 Oct. 2015 The photos feature 3-year-old Matthew smiling beside and hugging his older sister Charlotte, who is undergoing chemotherapy to treat leukemia. — Fox News, "3-year-old boy shaves head to support big sister's cancer battle," 23 Apr. 2018 Noise level Conversation easy unless seated beside particularly enthusiastic lounge act. — Devra First, BostonGlobe.com, "At Mastro’s Ocean Club and LoLa 42 in the Seaport, an escape from the known city," 12 Mar. 2018 The library even has a fireplace to warm up beside in colder months. — Birmingham Magazine, AL.com, "The Top 10 Things to Do in Birmingham's Suburbs," 5 Feb. 2018

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