aside

1 of 3

adverb

ə-ˈsīd 

1

: to or toward the side

stepped aside

2

: away from others or into privacy

pulled him aside

3

: out of the way especially for future use : away

putting aside savings

4

: away from one's thought or consideration

All kidding aside, we really need to get busy.

aside

2 of 3

noun

1

: an utterance not meant to be heard by someone

especially : an actor's speech heard by the audience but supposedly not by other characters

2

: a comment or discussion that does not relate directly to the main subject being discussed : digression

He frequently interrupted his narrative with amusing asides.

aside

3 of 3

preposition

obsolete

: beyond, past

Synonyms

Noun

• digression
• divagation
• excursion
• tangent

Examples of aside in a Sentence

Adverb

He stepped aside and let her pass.

He threw his coat aside.

She laid the book aside.

He elbowed people aside as he moved through the crowd.

He took her aside to speak to her privately.

Someone grabbed him and pulled him aside.

Noun

She made a joke about the food in a muttered aside to her husband.

The book includes several lengthy asides about the personal lives of scientists involved in the project.

In his speech he mentioned her contributions almost as an aside, despite the fact that she was the one who came up with the idea originally.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adverb

Add to a large bowl with 1/4 cup sugar and set aside. —Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 May 2025

More names to the memorial will be added as long as money is set aside for the project, Perry said. —Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 17 May 2025

Noun

Mentioned almost as an aside during jury selection last week, the subject of the suddenly unreachable Victim-3, came up on May 9 in what was supposed to be near formality of a hearing. —Dominic Patten, Deadline, 11 May 2025

These asides prevent The Last of Us from delving into Ellie’s larger emotional journey of having to rediscover her humanity while she’s overwhelmed by her grief. —Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 21 Apr. 2025

Preposition

President Trump headed to Capitol Hill Tuesday to push squabbling Republican members of Congress in person to set aside differences and pass his sprawling budget bill including deep cuts in spending and taxes. —Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 20 May 2025

In a brief order, the justices granted a fast-track appeal from Trump’s lawyers and set aside the decision of a federal judge in San Francisco who had blocked the repeal announced by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. —David G. Savage, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adverb

see side entry 1

Noun

see side entry 1

Preposition

see side entry 1

First Known Use

Adverb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

circa 1751, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Preposition

1592, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing aside

• aside from
• brush aside
• cast aside
• joking aside
• lay aside
• pull aside
• push aside
• put aside
• set aside
• stand aside
• step aside
• sweep aside
• take (someone) aside
• wave aside

Rhymes for aside

• abide
• allied
• applied
• astride
• azide
• backside
• bankside
• bastide
• bayside
• bedside
• belied
• beside

Kids Definition

aside

1 of 2 adverb

ə-ˈsīd 

1

: to or toward the side

stepped aside

2

: out of the way especially for future use : away

put money aside for school

3

: away from one's thought or consideration

all kidding aside

aside

2 of 2 noun

: words meant not to be heard by someone

especially : an actor's words supposedly not heard by others on the stage