beside

preposition be·side \ bi-ˈsīd , bē- \

|Updated on: 7 Aug 2018

Examples: beside in a Sentence

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

Many Baltimore families endure life beside decaying homes.

— tim prudente, baltimoresun.com, "Collapse: The rise and deadly fall of a Baltimore rowhouse," 12 July 2018
The Ocean Conservancy, which claims its volunteers have picked up 9 million straws on beaches and beside waterways, says too many end up in the ocean.

— jon talton, The Seattle Times, "Starbucks ditches straws, but our plastic addiction is much bigger," 10 July 2018
There, a handful of people with cameras and tripods arrive for a fashion shoot beside an unloved merry-go-round.

— dana snitzky, Longreads, "Eating Alone," 6 July 2018
However, Prince William and Princess Anne were there to walk beside the Queen in their green velvet garbs.

— eileen reslen, Town & Country, "Kate Middleton Had a Really Good Reason for Not Attending the Order of the Thistle Today," 6 July 2018
The yellow Lab has followed an interesting path to end up beside the former president.

— kelli bender, PEOPLE.com, "George H.W. Bush Has an Adorable New Service Dog! Here's Everything to Know About Sully," 26 June 2018
With her fur coat draped over the coffin and her bags and guitar cases beside the piano, Tharpe doesn’t waste any time getting Marie up to speed.

— john monaghan, Detroit Free Press, "Review: 'Marie and Rosetta' rocks and roars at Detroit Public Theatre," 22 Feb. 2018
Her friends stood beside her draped in the Belgium flag and started chanting the country’s name up until the first score of the game, which came in the 55th minute when Samuel Umtiti, a center back, put France up with a header.

— sarah ravani, SFChronicle.com, "French connection: Fans flock to San Francisco’s World Cup watch party," 10 July 2018
With his wife and two daughters standing beside him, Judge Kavanaugh shared a little bit about his background and praised his parents for his upbringing.

— CBS News, "Judge Brett Kavanaugh named Trump's second Supreme Court justice - live updates," 9 July 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