What does beside mean?
"Beside" is primarily a preposition meaning "at the side of" or "next to," indicating physical proximity: a book lying beside the bed, or someone sitting beside you on a train. It also carries an important comparative sense, meaning "in comparison with" — as in "beside her achievements, mine seem modest" — where one thing is measured against another rather than physically near it. The word appears in several fixed idiomatic expressions that resist paraphrase: something "beside the point" is irrelevant to the matter at hand, and to be "beside oneself" is to be overwhelmed with emotion, whether grief, anger, or excitement. "Beside" should not be confused with "besides" (with an s), which means "in addition to" or "apart from." Derived from Old English "be sidan," literally "by the side," it has remained stable in form and meaning for over a thousand years, making it one of English's most durable everyday prepositions.
At the side of; next to. By comparison with.
"The cat slept beside the fireplace."
Alongside (used chiefly in the phrase 'beside oneself').
"They were beside themselves with worry."
"Beside oneself" doesn't mean standing next to yourself — it's an idiom so old it echoes when people believed the self could actually leave the body.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of beside
"Beside" comes from Old English "be sidan," a phrase meaning literally "by the side of," formed from the preposition "be" plus the dative of "side." It functioned originally as a compound preposition and later developed adverbial uses. The related form "besides" split off to carry additive meanings ("in addition to"). Its root "side" remains productive across many English words such as "alongside," "sideways," and "seaside."
Word family
Usage notes
Neutral register, common in both speech and writing. In figurative uses ('beside the point', 'beside oneself'), the word is fixed and cannot be replaced by synonyms like 'next to'. Do not confuse with 'besides', which signals addition rather than position.
Don't confuse with
'Beside' means 'next to' or 'compared with' (physical or figurative proximity), while 'besides' means 'in addition to' or 'apart from'.