beyond

1 of 3

adverb

be·​yond bē-ˈänd How to pronounce beyond (audio)
Synonyms of beyond
1
: on or to the farther side : farther
We could see the valley and the hills beyond.
2
: in addition : besides
provides the essentials but nothing beyond

beyond

2 of 3

preposition

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

beyond

3 of 3

noun

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 beyondR. W. Hatch
2
: 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
specifically : hereafter

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?
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adverb
Georgians will have to wait at least one more day to see how votes will be counted this fall and beyond, Caleb Groves and David Wickert report. Adam Beam, AJC.com, 23 June 2026 More consistency next season and beyond will add more certainty to reaching his star potential. Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 23 June 2026
Preposition
Global economies have already weighed energy options beyond the Middle East, as the war in Iran has put irreversible pressure on the oil industry, according to Karen Young, a researcher at Columbia University. Deva Lee, CNN Money, 22 June 2026 While OpenAI pursued a sprawling set of ambitions, from video AI to consumer hardware to chips to robotics and beyond, Anthropic’s laser focus on coding enabled it to build the most powerful coding models in the world, setting the stage for the breakout success of Claude Code. Rob Toews, Forbes.com, 22 June 2026
Noun
Tormenta will become the world’s first giga dive coaster — combining a 300-foot-plus height (giga) with a beyond vertical drop (dive) to create a completely new ride category. Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 19 June 2026 For good measure, as of Wednesday his band now includes jazz-and-way-beyond guitar wiz Julian Lage. George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for beyond

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

Cite this Entry

“Beyond.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beyond. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.

Kids Definition

beyond

1 of 2 adverb
be·​yond bē-ˈänd How to pronounce beyond (audio)
: on or to the farther side

beyond

2 of 2 preposition
1
: 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

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