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

The budget sets aside $12.1 million for the new scholarships. —Adam Tamburin, Axios, 11 Feb. 2025

Architecture aside, the cuisine (from hush puppies to delicious seafood and soul food), spooky ghost tours, and beach proximity make Charleston, South Carolina the place to be in spring and summer. —Erika Owen, Architectural Digest, 10 Feb. 2025

Noun

The book follows Tom’s moral development, guided by three matriarchal fairies—with political and scientific asides—and the whole can be read as an allegory for the moral principles inhering in evolutionary processes. —Ben Woollard, JSTOR Daily, 29 Jan. 2025

As an aside, Guentzel’s agent is Ben Hankinson, who works for the same firm, Octagon, as Rantanen’s agent, Scott. —Pierre Lebrun, The Athletic, 25 Jan. 2025

Preposition

Congress sets aside funding for the institute’s work. —Jodi S. Cohen, ProPublica, 11 Feb. 2025

Black History Month actually began as Negro History Week in 1926 when historian Carter G. Woodson and others pushed to set aside time to celebrate and promote Black history and achievement. —Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 9 Feb. 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

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