variants or B side
plural B-sides or B sides
1
: the reverse side of a phonograph record : flip side
The B-side of the album features a 12-minute instrumental piece …Quinn Moreland
2
: a recorded song (such as a remix or a previous outtake) that accompanies the lead selection on a single (see single entry 2 sense 1c(2)) or EP
The highly promoted single … will be backed with two B sides: a live gospel version of "One More Try" … and an instrumental version of "Older"…The Boston Herald
"I Promise" is yet another reminder that the songs Radiohead leaves off its albums are often just as good as the ones that make it on. … So why has the band still not put out a compilation of B-sides and rarities?Zach Schonfeld
often, specifically : such a song on the flip side of a record
The song ["I Saw Her Standing There"] … was chosen as the B side for the "I Want to Hold Your Hand" single that topped the charts in America. Rolling Stone

Examples of B-side in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
For this collection, The Friends of Rachel Worth, Bright Yellow Bright Orange and Oceans Apart have been pressed on vinyl for the first time and accompanied by seven CDs of B-sides, radio sessions and demos. David Chiu, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024 The program was a notch off-center, but a Trifonov bullseye: B-side Tchaikovsky, a smattering of Chopin waltzes and the Barber sonata, another chapter in Trifonov’s American story but relayed with Prokofiev and Shostakovich’s gristle. Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 20 Nov. 2024 Think of it as having a B-sides album — those cuts might work somewhere else. Jd Barker, Rolling Stone, 21 Nov. 2024 This 30th-anniversary vinyl reissue unearths a rare 2009 remastered version of the double album and includes a third LP of B-sides, live takes, and remixes. Ew Staff, EW.com, 20 Nov. 2024 The irony is that songwriter Ezra Koenig and his buddies can’t relinquish memories, which inform, on the transportive B-side, the most somber, regretful music of their career. Pitchfork, 1 Oct. 2024 The digital deluxe edition arrives October 25 and includes unreleased demos, B-sides, live versions, and bonus songs. Eric Torres, Pitchfork, 9 Aug. 2024 Galaxie 500 have announced a new album of outtakes, B-sides, rarities, and previously unreleased tracks. Matthew Strauss, Pitchfork, 10 July 2024 Doobie Brothers Phoenix concert rocked every hit that stirs your '70s soul Best Prince songs of all time: 40 classics, from 'Purple Rain' to album tracks and B-sides Fuerza Regida announces new metro Phoenix concert. Meredith G. White, The Arizona Republic, 28 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1949, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of B-side was in 1949

Dictionary Entries Near B-side

Cite this Entry

“B-side.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/B-side. Accessed 27 Dec. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!