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View synonyms for beside

beside

[ bih-sahyd ]

preposition

  1. by or at the side of; near:

    Sit down beside me.

  2. compared with:

    Beside him other writers seem amateurish.

  3. apart from; not connected with:

    beside the point; beside the question.



adverb

  1. along the side of something:

    The family rode in the carriage, and the dog ran along beside.

beside

/ bɪˈsaɪd /

preposition

  1. next to; at, by, or to the side of
  2. as compared with
  3. away from; wide of

    beside the point

  4. archaic.
    besides
  5. beside oneself
    postpositiveoften foll bywith overwhelmed; overwrought

    beside oneself with grief

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


adverb

  1. at, by, to, or along the side of something or someone
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Confusables Note

For the prepositional meanings “over and above, in addition to” and “except” besides is preferred, especially in edited writing: Besides these honors he received a sum of money. We heard no other sound besides the breaking surf. However, beside sometimes occurs with these meanings as well.
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Word History and Origins

Origin of beside1

before 1000; Middle English; earlier bi-siden, Old English bī sīdan, be sīdan; be-, side 1
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Word History and Origins

Origin of beside1

Old English be sīdan ; see by , side
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. beside oneself, almost out of one's senses from a strong emotion, as from joy, delight, anger, fear, or grief:

    He was beside himself with rage when the train left without him.

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Example Sentences

Selma becomes a biopic in which the hero shines while those who worked beside him are overlooked or relegated to the sidelines.

Dehydrated and feeling weary, Marino lay down beside another migrant under a tree and fell asleep.

But the flaws and peccadilloes of Renaissance artists like Michelangelo pale beside the misdeeds of patrons and pontiffs.

The artist came down and stood beside his patron to assess things.

So they laid her on a bier, and all seven of them sat down beside it and wept and wept for three whole days.

Beside her was a box of bonbons, which she held out at intervals to Madame Ratignolle.

There were other children beside, and two nurse-maids followed, looking disagreeable and resigned.

That they may know thee, as we also have known thee, that there is no God beside thee, O Lord.

None of the other scholars were asked, and when I entered the room there were only three persons in it beside Liszt.

Just as it disappeared from view he caught a glimpse of a charming little girl, peeping out of a latticed window beside the door.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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Beshtbeside oneself