Meaning of side in English

side

noun

/saɪd/ us

/saɪd/

side noun (SURFACE)

Add to word list Add to word list

A2 [ C ]

a flat outer surface of an object, especially one that is not the top, the bottom, the front, or the back:

The names of ships are usually painted on their sides.

The window on the right side of the house was open.

Please write on one side of the paper only.

Canadian coins have a picture of the British Queen's head on one side.

Please use the side entrance.

[ C ] UK

one side of a page of writing:

I've already written four sides for my essay.

Synonym

page (PAPER)

More examplesFewer examples

Quigley clouted me smartly across the side of the head.
This plan shows the front, side and back elevations of the new supermarket.
You turn the television on by flipping the switch at the side.
The monument was hewn out of the side of a mountain.
I walked around the side of the building.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Surfaces of objects

See more results »

side noun (EDGE)

A2 [ C ]

an edge or border of something:

A square has four sides.

There are trees on both sides of the road.

on all sides They were surrounded on all sides/on every side by curious children.

More examplesFewer examples

How many sides does a rhombus have?
There are hedges around the sides of the garden.
Along one side of the field was a high fence.
The sides of the tablecloth are edged with lace.
He was surrounded on all sides by journalists.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Edges & extremities of objects

See more results »

side noun (NEXT TO)

B2 [ U ]

a place next to something:

at the side At the side of the stage, an interpreter translated the speech into sign language.

at/by the side I have a small table by the side of (= next to) my bed.

at someone's side His faithful dog was always to be seen at his side.

by someone's side He stayed by her side (= with her) throughout her long illness.

See also

alongside
aside adverb (TO ONE SIDE)
beside

[ C ] US informal

(also side order); (UK also side dish)

in a restaurant, an extra dish of food, for example vegetables or salad, that is served with the main dish, sometimes on a separate plate:

side of I’ll have a side of onion rings.

side by side

next to each other:

The children sat side by side on the sofa watching television.

More examplesFewer examples

Both children, disengaging themselves from their game, came to her side.
Unfortunately I was sitting at the table with smokers on either side of me.
Cut off any excess pastry and put it to one side.
Her son walked by her side.
I have a lamp at the side of my chair.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Next to and beside

See more results »

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Meals & parts of meals

side noun (PART)

A2 [ C ]

a part of something, especially in relation to a real or imagined central line:

He likes to sleep on the right side of the bed.

In Britain, cars drive on the left side of the road.

on someone's side (of the family) There is no money on my mother's side (of the family).

on the far/other side of I could just see Joan on the far/other side of the room.

from all sides Children came running from all sides (= from all directions).

Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples

your relatives

relativeAll my relatives gather every year for a family reunion.
extended familyHe has a very large extended family.
relationShe is a distant relation of his, though I don't quite remember how.
kinHe remained true to his kin.
mother's/father's side (of the family)I have aunts and uncles on my mother's side of the family.

See more results »

C2 [ C usually singular ]

the part of the body from under the arm to the top of the leg:

I have a pain in my side.

[ C ] UK

a television channel:

What side is "Coronation Street" on?

from side to side

from left to right and from right to left:

The curtains were swinging from side to side in the breeze.

[ C usually singular ]

half of an animal's body, considered as meat:

She bought a side of lamb from the butcher.

More examplesFewer examples

At the top of the hill I switched off the engine and we just coasted down the other side.
We can now communicate instantly with people on the other side of the world.
He managed to keep afloat by holding on to the side of the boat.
In the US, you drive on the right hand side of the road, but in Britain the converse applies.
They ran to the pool, dived in, and swam to the other side.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Words meaning parts of things

See more results »

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

The human torso

Broadcasting: television

Cuts of meat

side noun (OPPOSING GROUP)

B2 [ C, + sing/pl verb ]

one of two or more opposing teams or groups:

This is a war which neither side can win.

UK Our side (= team) lost again on Saturday.

UK Which/Whose side are you on (= which team are you playing for/supporting)?

on someone’s side Don't be angry with me - I'm on your side (= I want to help you).

take sides

to support one person or group rather than another, in an argument or war:

My mother never takes sides when my brother and I argue.

take someone's side

to support someone in an argument:

My mother always takes my father's side when I argue with him.

More examplesFewer examples

He was cheering for the other side.
Our commiserations to the losing side!
The ceasefire treaty was a dead letter as soon as it was signed, as neither side ever had any intention of keeping to it.
France play with more flair and inventiveness, whereas England are a more disciplined side.
The teams change ends at half-time so that neither side has an unfair advantage.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Groups of people

See more results »

side noun (OPINION)

B2 [ C ]

an opinion held in an argument, or a way of considering something:

side to There are at least two sides to every question.

side of the story I've listened to your side of the story, but I still think you were wrong to do what you did.

More examplesFewer examples

The government has come down on the side of military action.
Critics said judges were on the side of the establishment.
He was, in this matter at least, firmly on the side of the angels.
Whose side are you on in this dispute?
The media seem to be on the side of the rebels.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Opinions, beliefs and points of view

See more results »

side noun (PART OF SITUATION)

B2 [ C ]

a part of a situation, system, etc. that can be considered or dealt with separately:

She takes care of the financial side of things.

Fortunately my boss did see the funny side of the situation.

Synonyms

angle  (WAY OF THINKING)
aspect (FEATURE)
facet
feature  (QUALITY)
point  (CHARACTERISTIC)
strand  (PART)

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Words meaning parts of things

See more results »

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Conditions and characteristics

side noun (CHARACTER)

B2 [ C ]

a part of someone's character:

She seems quite fierce, but actually she has a gentle side.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Mind and personality

See more results »

Related word

-sided

Idioms

be two sides of the same coin
come down on one side of the fence or the other
get on the right/wrong side of someone
have something on your side
keep on the right side of someone
on the large, small, etc. side
on the right/wrong side of 40, 50, etc.
on the right/wrong side of the law
on the side
the other side of the coin

More idioms

put/lay something on/to one side
put/leave something on/to one side
take/lead someone on/to one side
this side of something
the wrong/other side of the tracks

side

adjective [ before noun ]

/saɪd/ us

/saɪd/

not as big or important as something else:

side street/road We parked the car on a side street/road (= a small road, especially one that joins on to a main road).

side issue I think that's a side issue (= a subject which is separate from the main one) which we should talk about later.

side dish I'd like a side dish (US order) of potatoes (= some potatoes on a separate plate).

Opposite

main

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Meals & parts of meals

See more results »

(Definition of side from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

side | American Dictionary

side

noun

/sɑɪd/

side noun (SURFACE)

Add to word list Add to word list

[ C ]

a surface of something that is not the top or the bottom, or a surface of a flat object:

Label all four sides of the box.

I painted one side of the boat green to see if we like the color.

The trail leads up the side of the mountain.

Please write on only one side of the paper.

[ C ]

A side is also a surface that is not the front or the back:

There’s a scratch on the side of my new bookcase.

side noun (EDGE)

[ C ]

an edge or border of something:

A square has four sides.

We rested by the side of the river.

There are trees on both sides of the road.

[ C ] geometry

A side is one of the edges of a flat surface.

side noun (NEXT POSITION)

[ U ]

a place next to something:

I have a small table by the side of my bed.

a side of

a side of some type of food is a small serving of food, esp. vegetables, served in addition to the main dish:

I’ll have a side of onion rings.

side noun (PART)

[ C ]

a part of something, esp. in relation to a real or imagined central line:

the right/left side

The swimming pool is on the other side of town.

I’m Irish on my mother’s side (= her family is from Ireland).

Children came running from all sides (= from many directions).

side noun (OPPOSING GROUP)

[ C ]

one of two or more opposing groups or people:

This is a war which neither side can win.

Which side are you on (= Whom do you support)?

fig. The other candidate had experience on his side (= as an advantage).

side noun (OPINION)

[ C ]

an opinion held in an argument, or a way of considering something:

There are two sides to every argument.

side noun (PERSONAL QUALITY)

[ C ]

a part of someone’s character:

He has a gentle side.

Idioms

on the side

side by side

side

adjective

/sɑɪd/

side adjective (LESS IMPORTANT)

less important or smaller than the thing it is connected with:

a side issue

We parked on a side street.

side adjective (ON THE SIDE)

[ not gradable ]

at, on, of, or in the side of something:

a side view

Please use the side entrance.

side

verb [ I always + adv/prep ]

/sɑɪd/

side verb [I always + adv/prep] (SUPPORT)

to support one person or group rather than another in an argument or war:

Peter always sides with you.

(Definition of side from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

side | Business English

side

noun [ C ]

/saɪd/ us

Add to word list Add to word list

one of the two or more people or groups who are arguing, discussing, or negotiating something:

Despite the difficulties, the two sides say the direct talks were helpful.

the other/opposite side The other side has legitimate concerns as well.

on both sides of sth Activists on both sides of the gun control issue called the judge's decision important.

the ideas or opinions of one of the people or groups in an argument, discussion, or negotiation:

sb's side of sth We want the public to hear our side of the story.

a particular part of a job, system, business, etc.:

Legal requirements are one side of his new role.

the business/commercial/creative side of sth I took the job because I wanted to explore the business side of radio.

take sb's side

to decide whose opinion or belief you support in an argument:

take sb's side on sth Most Democrats have taken the union's side on this issue.

Examples of side

side

We expect these committees will not exhibit a strong tendency to fall in the majority party's target area on its side of the chamber median.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Likewise, we can reverse the roles of the left- and right-hand sides.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

A stepped aluminum layer was then deposited on the rear side.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

During periods of political instability they tended to side with the regime.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

These critical trajectories approach at zero angle and from the side opposite the approach of the hinge points.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

However, all the trajectories are finally convected to the finger side except that issuing from the finger tip itself.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

It is assumed that the peg is infinitely rigid, and thus, deformation appears on the cart side only.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

There are two more world views that correspond to the transitions in the middle and on the right-hand side of the figure.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Running vertically down the centre of each door is an expansion slot between the two sides of the panel, producing a clear vertical stripe.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

They appear as white dots when viewed by shadowgraph from above, and as white vertical lines when viewed by shadowgraph from the side.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

We will speak of the top, bottom, and two (vertical) sides of such a rectangle.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

First, because the left-hand side and the right-hand side of a rule could have different types in the same context.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Since neither type of engineering can be undertaken without involving the other, strategies may focus on one side, but involve the other too.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Samples were taken by horizon from three sides of the pit walls for laboratory analyses.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

However, neuroleptic therapy is frequently accompanied by serious, sometimes permanent, side effects.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

See all examples of side

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

What is the pronunciation of side?