besides

[ bih-sahydz ]

adverb

1. moreover; furthermore; also:

   Besides, I promised her we would come.

   Synonyms: further

2. in addition:

   There are three elm trees and two maples besides.

3. otherwise; else:

   They had a roof over their heads but not much besides.

preposition

1. over and above; in addition to:

   Besides a mother he has a sister to support.

2. other than; except:

   There's no one here besides Bill and me.

besides

/ bɪˈsaɪdz /

preposition

1. apart from; even considering

   besides costing too much, the scheme is impractical

sentence connector

1. anyway; moreover

adverb

1. as well

Confusables Note

See beside.

Word History and Origins

Origin of besides¹

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English; beside, -s ¹

Synonym Study

Besides, moreover both indicate something additional to what has already been stated. Besides often suggests that the addition is in the nature of an afterthought: The bill cannot be paid as yet; besides, the work is not completed. Moreover is more formal and implies that the addition is something particular, emphatic, or important: I did not like the house; moreover, it was too high-priced.

Example Sentences

There was something driving him besides the need to see if he could get out of bed.

From Los Angeles Times

In a lawsuit by a former Donda employee, Murphy Aficionado claimed that besides being exposed to West's inappropriate sexual behavior, Aficionado was subject to West's "racist lectures."

From Salon

Her parents told her no: They had already prepared a meal for the family, and besides, cereal was for breakfast.

From Los Angeles Times

“They didn’t do anything else besides making sure everybody had a life jacket — and everybody had a life jacket.”

From Los Angeles Times

By the time Biden held his disastrous debate with Trump in June, there was little time to find an alternative besides Harris, despite her obvious ties to his administration.

From Los Angeles Times