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side-on

American

[sahyd-on, -awn] / ˈsaɪdˈɒn, -ˈɔn /

adjective

(of two objects) meeting with the sides foremost.

adverb

with the side or sides foremost, especially in a collision.

The other car struck me side-on.

Etymology

Origin of side-on

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Of the current cars, the McLaren MCL39 is to my eyes easily the most beautiful, especially from side-on or rear three-quarters.

From BBC • Aug. 19, 2025

Observers watched as aircraft approached the runway almost side-on.

From BBC • Dec. 21, 2023

Plotting the distances in 3D produces a trace of the Galaxy’s spiral arms, and shows how the disk warps at its farthest reaches, forming an S-shape when seen side-on.

From Nature • Aug. 6, 2019

One limitation of the K2 mission is that Kepler must keep the Sun side-on as it orbits, forcing the telescope to switch its field of view roughly every 80 days.

From Nature • Oct. 20, 2014

They had swung side-on as the hole opened, and her glance focused itself upon the smaller of the two.

From The Readjustment by Irwin, Will

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023