beside

preposition be·side \ bi-ˈsīd , bē- \

Updated on: 18 Apr 2018

Definition of beside

1 a : 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

See beside defined for English-language learners

See beside defined for kids

Examples of beside in a Sentence

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 of beside from the Web

But for this measure, and others like it, that fact is generally beside the point. 4.

— NBC News, "Long congressional to-do list running into a ticking election-year clock," 9 Apr. 2018
Well, actually, Mexico is going to pay for it so that's beside the point.

— Fox News, "Trump takes steps to make good on border security promise," 7 Apr. 2018
Though useful for understanding what happened during the nanny’s killing spree, these gruesome images have started to seem beside the point.

— maureen o'connor, The Cut, "What’s Left to Learn From the Horror of the Nanny Trial?," 26 Mar. 2018
Although Jones later replaced an injured Barrett in the postseason run, that's beside the point of why Barrett first got the job.

— bill livingston, cleveland.com, "Cleveland Cavaliers should keep 'X factor' Jose Calderon as starter - Bill Livingston (photos)," 26 Mar. 2018
After the Ramblers won the MVC tournament, the duo walked beside each other from the court to a media interview room.

— shannon ryan, chicagotribune.com, "Teammates since third grade, Loyola's Ben Richardson and Clayton Custer have 'mind-blowing' connection on court," 17 Mar. 2018
But this isn't a Stinger GT, and treating the Niro like a GTI seems beside the point.

— jonathan m. gitlin, Ars Technica, "The $26,000 hybrid that could do it all? The Kia Niro," 6 Feb. 2018
At the trial, in State Supreme Court in Brooklyn, Mr. St. Hubert, 31, sat beside his lawyer each day, mostly stone-faced and wearing a rosary.

— alan feuer, New York Times, "At Brooklyn Trial, a Motive in Child’s Murder Remains Elusive," 30 Mar. 2018
Still, Moada sat beside her hut made of leaves and dared to be optimistic.

— nicholas kristof, Anchorage Daily News, "‘Conflict is more profitable than peace’," 26 Mar. 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.

Origin and Etymology of beside

Middle English, adverb & preposition, from Old English be sīdan at or to the side, from be at (from bī) + sīdan, dative & accusative of sīde side — more at by

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year