beside

[ bih-sahyd ]
/ bɪˈsaɪd /

preposition

by or at the side of; near: Sit down beside me.
compared with: Beside him other writers seem amateurish.
apart from; not connected with: beside the point; beside the question.

adverb

along the side of something: The family rode in the carriage, and the dog ran along beside.

Idioms for beside

    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.

Origin of beside

before 1000; Middle English; earlier bi-siden, Old English bī sīdan, be sīdan; see be-, side1

usage note for beside

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.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH beside

beside besides (see usage note at the current entry)

British Dictionary definitions for beside oneself

beside
/ (bɪˈsaɪd) /

preposition

next to; at, by, or to the side of
as compared with
away from; wide of beside the point
archaic besides
beside oneself (postpositive often foll by with) overwhelmed; overwrought beside oneself with grief

adverb

at, by, to, or along the side of something or someone

Word Origin for beside

Old English be sīdan; see by, side

Idioms and Phrases with beside oneself

beside oneself

In a state of extreme agitation or excitement, as in She was beside herself when she found she'd lost her ring, or Peter was beside himself with joy—he'd won the poetry award. This phrase appears in the New Testament (Acts 26:24): “Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning makes thee mad.” [Late 1400s]