aside

American  

[uh-sahyd] / əˈsaɪd /

adverb

1. on or to one side; to or at a short distance apart; away from some position or direction.

   to turn aside; to move the chair aside.

2. away from one's thoughts or consideration.

   to put one's cares aside.

3. in reserve; in a separate place, as for safekeeping; apart; away.

   to put some money aside for a rainy day.

4. away from a present group, especially for reasons of privacy; off to another part, as of a room; into or to a separate place.

   He took him aside and talked business.

5. in spite of; put apart; notwithstanding.

   all kidding aside; unusual circumstances aside.

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noun

1. a part of an actor's lines supposedly not heard by others on the stage and intended only for the audience.

2. words spoken so as not to be heard by others present.

3. a temporary departure from a main theme or topic, especially a parenthetical comment or remark; short digression.

idioms

1. aside from,

   1. apart from; besides; excluding.

      Aside from her salary, she receives money from investments.

   2. except for.

      They had no more food, aside from a few stale rolls.

aside British  

/ əˈsaɪd /

adverb

1. on or to one side

   they stood aside to let him pass

2. out of hearing; in or into seclusion

   he took her aside to tell her of his plan

3. away from oneself

   he threw the book aside

4. out of mind or consideration

   he put aside all fears

5. in or into reserve

   to put aside money for old age

6. (preposition)

   1. besides

      he has money aside from his possessions

   2. except for Compare apart

      he has nothing aside from the clothes he stands in

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noun

1. something spoken by an actor, intended to be heard by the audience, but not by the others on stage

2. any confidential statement spoken in undertones

3. a digression

aside More Idioms  

1. see all joking aside; lay aside; set aside; take aside.

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Other Word Forms

• quasi-aside adverb

Etymology

Origin of aside

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; a- ¹, side ¹

Example Sentences

“Martin Scorsese All the Films” is filled with such morsels, making for an engrossing book—provided you don’t mind the occasional political asides.

From The Wall Street Journal

It would also be embarrassing if the governor tried to muscle candidates aside and failed.

From Los Angeles Times

Derek was also one of the only people, aside from my own team, who backed me going into both the Joseph Parker and Daniel Dubois fights.

From BBC

A slowdown in economic activity will also spur a pickup in default risk, forcing banks to set aside higher provisions for potential losses, Janus Henderson Investors fund manager Robert Schramm-Fuchs said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Lloyds Banking Group has set aside 1.95 billion pounds for the issue.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• alone
• away
• out
• separately