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

Medical privacy experts say this is beside the point. — James Vincent, The Verge, "Privacy advocates sound the alarm after Google grabs DeepMind UK health app," 14 Nov. 2018 In the first 48 hours of 2018, Hoda Kotb took her seat beside Savannah Guthrie as the coanchor of Today, replacing the disgraced and dismissed Matt Lauer. — Mattie Kahn, Glamour, "9 Times Being a Woman in 2018 Was Genuinely Powerful," 30 Oct. 2018 And just as Evan grew up working beside his father, his children (Jasper, three; Lulu, seven; and Cody, nine) with Ku-Ling, a filmmaker, are already demonstrating a predisposition to the craft. — Erik Maza, Town & Country, "For David Yurman and His Family, the Jewelry Business Was a Way to Keep Creating," 17 Oct. 2018 Or a graying Mika Brzezinski seated beside her graying on-screen and off-screen partner Joe Scarborough on Morning Joe. — Jessica Berger Gross, Longreads, "Gone Gray," 10 July 2018 On the car seat beside me was a transparent orange folder containing all the photographs, records, certificates and other documents Puri had accumulated in the course of her search. — Matías Costa, Smithsonian, "The Battle Over the Memory of the Spanish Civil War," 28 June 2018 The Paradise Beach Bar seats eight and directly beside it is a private beach with views of Saint Kitts and Mount Nevis—as well as hammocks, umbrellas, and lounge chairs that seemed to be waiting every day just for us. — Kerry Pieri, Harper's BAZAAR, "How to Vacation Like a Royal in Nevis," 25 June 2018 Waithe was seated beside her friend Justin Simien, director of the film Dear White People and creator of the subsequent Netflix series. — Gregg Kilday, The Hollywood Reporter, "Produced By: Writer-Actress Lena Waithe Advises "Make Sure You Are Surrounded By Greatness"," 10 June 2018 Kasayulie spoke at the company's Anchorage headquarters with Guy seated beside him. — Nathaniel Herz, Anchorage Daily News, "Court filings expose power struggle over sex harassment charges at Native corporation Calista," 8 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb

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 As a way to shame her into losing weight for a role, she was forced to stand beside much thinner women, then photographed. — The Washington Post, cleveland.com, "Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Lawrence join the chorus of women sharing Hollywood sexual abuse stories," 17 Oct. 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.

History and Etymology for beside

Preposition

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

Adverb

see beside entry 1

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