sideways

[ sahyd-weyz ]

adverb

1. with a side foremost.
2. facing to the side.
3. toward or from one side.
4. with a deceitful, scornful, disparaging, or amorous glance.

adjective

1. moving, facing, or directed toward one side.
2. indirect or evasive.

sideways

/ ˈsaɪdˌweɪz /

adverb

1. moving, facing, or inclining towards one side
2. from one side; obliquely
3. with one side forward

adjective

1. moving or directed to or from one side
2. towards or from one side

Word History and Origins

Origin of sideways¹

First recorded in 1570–80; side ¹ + -ways

Idioms and Phrases

see knock for a loop (sideways) ; look sideways at .

Example Sentences

By the end it's possible to have gathered a total of 127, and the main method of selecting them involves scrolling sideways through a very long row of icons.

From BBC

The actor, who won accolades in 2022 for her heartbreaking performance as civil rights advocate Mamie Till-Mobley in “Till,” was describing the emotional journey of her latest project, “The Piano Lesson,” when she suddenly leaned sideways in her chair, twisting her neck at an awkward angle.

From Los Angeles Times

"The Hollywood journey is an Alice in Wonderland kind of journey. You go up, you go down, you go sideways. That's the way it is," he said.

From BBC

When Alexander Payne’s wine-drenched dramedy “Sideways” first came out, Santa Ynez Valley didn’t have the luster of Napa or the breadth of the Russian River Valley.

From Los Angeles Times

Locals called it the “Sideways effect.”

From Los Angeles Times