beside

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preposition be·side \ bi-ˈsīd , bē- \

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.

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

See Words from the same year

beside Synonyms

Synonyms

as well as, besides, beyond, over and above

Related Words

plus; including

Near Antonyms

except (also excepting); less, minus, wanting

beside

adverb

Definition of beside

1 archaic :nearby

2 archaic :besides

Recent Examples of beside from the Web

Beside and behind him marched leaders like Ambassador Andrew Young and Congressman John Lewis.

— greg bluestein, ajc, "David Ralston on the day that ‘took much too long to get here’," 29 Aug. 2017
Beside, Gun Runner still hasn’t beaten him on the track.

— jeff nahill, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Gun Runner needs to earn top spot," 22 Aug. 2017
Beside walking on rooftops, there's the obvious possibility of being attacked by bees.

— omar abdel-baqui, Detroit Free Press, "Nonprofit Bees in the D hit the roof to reverse decline in honey bee population," 26 July 2017
Volunteers also help during the lesson with either leading the horse or walking beside to ensure the student's safety and help students complete tasks while riding.

— nathan paige, cleveland.com, "BVU Opportunities: Take the Indians Volunteer Challenge, help with animal rescue, more," 13 July 2017
Beside permanent residents, the U.S. Forest Service ordered campgrounds to empty of the thousands of people visiting for the popular Fourth of July weekend.

— astrid galvan, The Seattle Times, "Some evacuees return to Arizona homes as fires sweep US West," 30 June 2017
Beside winning gold medals together at the last two Olympics, KD and LeBron reportedly linked up for a rap song in 2011.

— daniel mano, The Mercury News, "Apparently Kevin Durant and LeBron James collaborated on a rap song," 5 June 2017
Each year a lottery determines who sits beside who — alternating parties.

— jarvis d. ryals, The Denver Post, "In Congress, where you stand depends on where you sit," 2 June 2017
How about some green for the leaves of the plants and trees the queen is standing beside?

— north seattle college, The Seattle Times, "Nanotechnology: A primer (or ‘How to impress at a dinner party’)," 16 May 2017

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.