beside

beside
be|side
W2S3 [bıˈsaıd] prep
[: Old English; Origin: be sidan 'at or to the side']
1.) next to or very close to the side of someone or something
Wendy came up and sat beside me.
the table beside the bed
I was standing right beside her at the time.
2.) in comparison with something or someone
This year's sales figures don't look very good beside last year's results.
The children seemed tiny beside him.
3.) be beside yourself
to be feeling so angry, excited etc that you find it difficult to control yourself
The poor girl was almost beside herself.
be beside yourself with anger/excitement/rage etc
Mom and Dad will be beside themselves with worry.
4.) be beside the point
to not be directly connected with the main subject or problem that you are talking about
Yes, he's a very charming young man, but that's beside the point.
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HINT sense 1
Do not confuse beside (=next to) and besides (=in addition to) : He sat down beside Mary. |Who was there besides you?
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Dictionary of contemporary English. 2013.

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  • Beside — Be*side , prep. [OE. biside, bisiden, bisides, prep. and adv., beside, besides; pref. be by + side. Cf. Besides, and see {Side}, n.] 1. At the side of; on one side of. Beside him hung his bow. Milton. [1913 Webster] 2. Aside from; out of the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • beside — beside, besides Beside is only used as a preposition meaning ‘next to’ • (He heard Lee come up beside him A. Hassall, 1989) whereas besides is both an adverb meaning ‘also, moreover’ • (Besides, it was not the first disappointment S. Studd, 1981) …   Modern English usage

  • beside — beside, besides are occasionally interchangeable. More often beside is employed as a preposition in a local sense, meaning by the side of {he stood beside her} {the house beside the river} On the other hand, besides has almost entirely replaced… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • beside — [bē sīd′, bisīd′] prep. [ME < OE bi sidan (dat. of side): see BY & SIDE] 1. by or at the side of; alongside; near 2. in comparison with [beside yours my share seems small] 3. BESIDES 4. not pertinent to …   English World dictionary

  • beside — ► PREPOSITION 1) at the side of; next to. 2) compared with. 3) in addition to; apart from. ● beside oneself Cf. ↑beside oneself …   English terms dictionary

  • beside — O.E. be sidan by the side of (only as two words), from BE (Cf. be ) + sidan dative of SIDE (Cf. side) (n.). By 1200, formed as one word and used as both adverb and preposition. The alternative M.E. meaning outside led to the sense preserved in… …   Etymology dictionary

  • beside — (yourself) extremely upset or excited. My mother was beside herself with curiosity …   New idioms dictionary

  • beside — index adjacent, contiguous Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • beside — [adv/prep] next to abreast of, adjacent to, adjoining, alongside, aside, a step from, at one’s elbow, at the edge of, at the side of, bordering on, by, cheek by jowl*, close at hand, close to, close upon, connected with, contiguous to, fornent,… …   New thesaurus

  • beside — be|side [ bı saıd ] preposition *** 1. ) at the side of someone or something and close to them: Who s that standing beside Jeff? I knelt down beside the bed. We found a picnic area down beside the river. 2. ) used for comparing two people or… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

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