1
: on or to the farther side of : at a greater distance than
beyond the horizon
2
a
: out of the reach or sphere (see sphere entry 1 sense 4b) of
a task beyond his strength
b
: in a degree or amount surpassing
beautiful beyond measure
c
: out of the comprehension of
his reasoning is beyond me
3
: in addition to : besides
doing work beyond his regular duties
1
: something that lies on or to the farther side : something that lies beyond (see beyond entry 1 sense 1)
twenty miles back into the beyond—
R. W. Hatch
R. W. Hatch2
: something that lies outside the scope of ordinary experience
… there's a beyond that the mind can't see, and that's where the answers are.—Robert Nathan
Robert Nathan
specifically
: hereafter
Synonyms
Examples of beyond in a Sentence
Adverb
From the house we can see the valley and the hills beyond.
We passed the hotel and drove a bit beyond to see the ocean.
The children who are part of the study will be monitored through their school years and beyond.
Preposition
From the house we can see the valley and the mountains beyond it.
The parking area is just beyond those trees.
Our land extends beyond the fence to those trees.
planets beyond our solar system
His influence does not extend beyond this department.
Noun
who knows how we'll fare in the beyond?
See More
Recent Examples on the WebJay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 28 Nov. 2023
That’s just a taste of the young food entrepreneurs who are building companies that will define 2024 and beyond.
—Chloe Sorvino, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2023
As the movie theater business recovers from the pandemic, as well as the strikes that pushed several big blockbusters into 2024 and beyond, every studio has been forced to contend with a shrinking global box office.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 27 Nov. 2023
But when the fruit made it to Brazil’s southeastern metropolises, and then beyond, demand skyrocketed.
—Terrence McCoy, Washington Post, 20 Nov. 2023
Amid mounting scrutiny from figures in the entertainment industry and beyond, the studio giant later reversed its decision to bury the film, permitting director Dave Green to shop the title around to other distributors, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
—Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 15 Nov. 2023
But his presence figures to be potentially larger -- in part because none of his rivals have figured out a way to chip away at his lead, either at debates or on the campaign trail beyond.
—Rick Klein, ABC News, 8 Nov. 2023
New research shows that centenarians—or people who live to 100 or beyond—may have lower (but not too low) levels of glucose, uric acid, and creatinine in their blood.
—Brian Mastroianni, Health, 31 Oct. 2023
For his part, OpenAI’s Altman—who has become a household name in the tech world and perhaps beyond—stressed the need for in-person collaboration and noted the shortcomings of remote work during a Stripe conference in San Francisco earlier this year.
—Steve Mollman, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2023
Shawna Kwan, Fortune, 29 Nov. 2023
Elo-Rivera said that funding beyond the $1.5 million grant will probably be needed.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Nov. 2023
The roadblocks include exorbitant costs that can stretch beyond $1,000 a month, limited insurance coverage, and constant supply shortages.
—Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 29 Nov. 2023
Metastatic means that cancer has spread beyond the breast to other parts of the body, like your lymph nodes, bones, brain, or other organs and that the disease can no longer be completely cured, just paused, slowed, and managed.
—Petra Guglielmetti, Glamour, 29 Nov. 2023
Rather, the great powers lack the diplomatic and military capacity to respond to conflicts beyond Ukraine—and other actors know it.
Consider the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
—Paul Poast, The Atlantic, 17 Nov. 2023
That’s why two-piece matching sets are having a major moment among style seekers who refuse to sacrifice comfort while navigating airports and beyond.
—Kristine Solomon, Travel + Leisure, 17 Nov. 2023
Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond.
—Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 17 Nov. 2023
This appears to be largely due to pressure by U.S. President Joe Biden on Israel to avoid widening the conflict beyond Gaza.
—Neri Zilber, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Nov. 2023
Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 29 Oct. 2023
Still, Kelly is cautiously optimistic that 2024 and beyond will be better years for earnings, and therefore stocks.
—Paul R. La Monica, CNN, 27 Feb. 2023
The Impact: As stream temperatures stress populations of native cutthroat, officials in Yellowstone and beyond have closed the Madison and other rivers to fishing, particularly during the heat of the day.
—Krista Langlois, Outside Online, 10 Mar. 2023
Struggling Sibling Struggling Sibling: If funeral attendance hinged on having a recent, close, functional relationship with the deceased, then a lot of us would be escorting ourselves to the beyond.
—Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 8 Oct. 2023
Hollywood’s dual labor strike, which has resulted in a work stoppage, means that several major titles set for 2024 and beyond could miss their release dates.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 15 Aug. 2023
Before moving into the frightening beyond, a proper amount of reflection might be considered useful for a few people wondering what the fuss was all about up in Nashville.
—Joseph Goodman | Jgoodman@al.com, al, 21 July 2023
Is there another advanced civilization lurking out there in the great beyond?
—Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 31 July 2023
The telegraph, for instance, offered access to voices from the beyond; how far beyond was anyone’s guess.
—Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 24 May 2021
See More
Adverb
The latest from Washington and beyond, covering current events, the economy, and more, from our columnists and correspondents.
—Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 28 Nov. 2023
That’s just a taste of the young food entrepreneurs who are building companies that will define 2024 and beyond.
—Chloe Sorvino, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2023
As the movie theater business recovers from the pandemic, as well as the strikes that pushed several big blockbusters into 2024 and beyond, every studio has been forced to contend with a shrinking global box office.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 27 Nov. 2023
But when the fruit made it to Brazil’s southeastern metropolises, and then beyond, demand skyrocketed.
—Terrence McCoy, Washington Post, 20 Nov. 2023
Amid mounting scrutiny from figures in the entertainment industry and beyond, the studio giant later reversed its decision to bury the film, permitting director Dave Green to shop the title around to other distributors, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
—Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 15 Nov. 2023
But his presence figures to be potentially larger -- in part because none of his rivals have figured out a way to chip away at his lead, either at debates or on the campaign trail beyond.
—Rick Klein, ABC News, 8 Nov. 2023
New research shows that centenarians—or people who live to 100 or beyond—may have lower (but not too low) levels of glucose, uric acid, and creatinine in their blood.
—Brian Mastroianni, Health, 31 Oct. 2023
For his part, OpenAI’s Altman—who has become a household name in the tech world and perhaps beyond—stressed the need for in-person collaboration and noted the shortcomings of remote work during a Stripe conference in San Francisco earlier this year.
—Steve Mollman, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2023
Preposition
And to underscore his legitimacy beyond overseeing money from friends and family, Adrian’s private investment arm, C Capital, raised more than $250 million for its Private Equity Fund III to back emerging consumer and technology firms.
—Shawna Kwan, Fortune, 29 Nov. 2023
Elo-Rivera said that funding beyond the $1.5 million grant will probably be needed.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Nov. 2023
The roadblocks include exorbitant costs that can stretch beyond $1,000 a month, limited insurance coverage, and constant supply shortages.
—Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 29 Nov. 2023
Metastatic means that cancer has spread beyond the breast to other parts of the body, like your lymph nodes, bones, brain, or other organs and that the disease can no longer be completely cured, just paused, slowed, and managed.
—Petra Guglielmetti, Glamour, 29 Nov. 2023
Rather, the great powers lack the diplomatic and military capacity to respond to conflicts beyond Ukraine—and other actors know it.
Consider the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
—Paul Poast, The Atlantic, 17 Nov. 2023
That’s why two-piece matching sets are having a major moment among style seekers who refuse to sacrifice comfort while navigating airports and beyond.
—Kristine Solomon, Travel + Leisure, 17 Nov. 2023
Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond.
—Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 17 Nov. 2023
This appears to be largely due to pressure by U.S. President Joe Biden on Israel to avoid widening the conflict beyond Gaza.
—Neri Zilber, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Nov. 2023
Noun
Since then, fans and friends in Hollywood and beyond have been paying tribute to the actor, including Friends costar Maggie Wheeler, former classmate and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and friend Shannen Doherty, to name a few.
—Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 29 Oct. 2023
Still, Kelly is cautiously optimistic that 2024 and beyond will be better years for earnings, and therefore stocks.
—Paul R. La Monica, CNN, 27 Feb. 2023
The Impact: As stream temperatures stress populations of native cutthroat, officials in Yellowstone and beyond have closed the Madison and other rivers to fishing, particularly during the heat of the day.
—Krista Langlois, Outside Online, 10 Mar. 2023
Struggling Sibling Struggling Sibling: If funeral attendance hinged on having a recent, close, functional relationship with the deceased, then a lot of us would be escorting ourselves to the beyond.
—Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 8 Oct. 2023
Hollywood’s dual labor strike, which has resulted in a work stoppage, means that several major titles set for 2024 and beyond could miss their release dates.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 15 Aug. 2023
Before moving into the frightening beyond, a proper amount of reflection might be considered useful for a few people wondering what the fuss was all about up in Nashville.
—Joseph Goodman | Jgoodman@al.com, al, 21 July 2023
Is there another advanced civilization lurking out there in the great beyond?
—Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 31 July 2023
The telegraph, for instance, offered access to voices from the beyond; how far beyond was anyone’s guess.
—Casey Cep, The New Yorker, 24 May 2021
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'beyond.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Adverb, Preposition, and Noun
Middle English, preposition & adverb, from Old English begeondan, from be- + geondan beyond, from geond yond — more at yond
First Known Use
Adverb
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Preposition
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of beyond was
before the 12th century
Phrases Containing beyond
Articles Related to beyond
Dictionary Entries Near beyond
Cite this Entry
“Beyond.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beyond. Accessed 8 Dec. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
beyond
1 of 2 adverb
be·yond
bē-ˈänd 
: on or to the farther side
beyond
2 of 2 preposition1
: on or to the farther side of
beyond that tree
beyond the sea
2
: out of the reach or sphere of
beyond help
beautiful beyond belief
More from Merriam-Webster on beyond
Nglish: Translation of beyond for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of beyond for Arabic Speakers
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share