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side.

A bounding straight edge of a two-dimensional shape.

4 characters1 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/ˈsaɪ̯d/[ˈsaɪ̯d]/ˈsɑɪ̯d/Australia[ˈsɑ̟ɪ̯d]Australia
  1. A bounding straight edge of a two-dimensional shape.

    countable · uncountable
    A square has four sides.
  2. A flat surface of a three-dimensional object; a face.

    countable · uncountable
    A cube has six sides.
    He said, “Where we’re at right now was back in 2008 all covered with ice. From here to there at the side, the glacier shrank about 20 to 30 meters.”
  3. One half (left or right, top or bottom, front or back, etc.) of something or someone.

    countable · uncountable
    Which side of the tray shall I put it on?  The patient was bleeding on the right side.
  4. A region in a specified position with respect to something.

    countable · uncountable
    Meet me on the north side of the monument.
  5. The portion of the human torso usually covered by the arms when they are not raised; the areas on the left and right between the belly or chest and the back.

    countable · uncountable
    I generally sleep on my side.
  6. One surface of a sheet of paper (used instead of "page", which can mean one or both surfaces.)

    countable · uncountable
    John wrote 15 sides for his essay!
  7. One possible aspect of a concept, person, or thing.

    countable · uncountable
    Look on the bright side.
    She has a mean side (to her).
  8. One set of competitors in a game.

    countable · uncountable
    Which side has kick-off?
  9. A sports team.

    Australia · Ireland · UK · countable · uncountable
  10. A group of morris dancers who perform together.

    collective · countable · uncountable
  11. A group having a particular allegiance in a conflict or competition.

    countable · uncountable
    there are two sides to every question
    Although there are two sides to every story, the fallacy that they are inevitably equally ethical is called bothsidesism.
  12. A recorded piece of music; a record, especially in jazz.

    countable · uncountable
  13. Sidespin; english

    countable · uncountable
    He had to put a bit of side on to hit the pink ball.
  14. A television channel, usually as opposed to the one currently being watched (from when there were only two channels).

    Australia · Ireland · UK · countable · dated · uncountable
    I just want to see what's on the other side — James said there was a good film on tonight.
  15. A dish that accompanies the main course; a side dish.

    Canada · Philippines · US · colloquial · countable · uncountable
    Do you want a side of cole-slaw with that?
  16. A line of descent traced through a particular relative, usually a parent or spouse, as distinguished from that traced through another.

    countable · uncountable
    his mother's side of the family
  17. The batters faced in an inning by a particular pitcher.

    countable · uncountable
    Clayton Kershaw struck out the side in the 6th inning.
  18. An unjustified air of self-importance; a conceited attitude.

    dated · slang · uncountable
  19. A written monologue or part of a scene to be read by an actor at an audition.

    countable · uncountable
  20. A person who prefers not to engage in anal sex during same-sex sexual activity.

    countable · uncountable
    My boyfriend and I are both sides; we prefer to do oral and other stuff.
  21. A root.

    countable · obsolete · uncountable
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *seh₁-der. Proto-Germanic *sīdaz Proto-Germanic *sīdǭ Old English sīde Middle English side English side From Middle English side, from Old English sīde (“side, flank”), from Proto-Germanic *sīdǭ (“side, flank, edge, shore”), derived from *sīdaz, probably from Proto-Indo-European *seh₁- (“long, lasting”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Siede (“side”), West Frisian side (“side”), Dutch zijde, zij (“side”), German Low German Sied (“side”), German Seite (“side”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk side (“side”), Swedish sida (“side”). The LGBTQ slang sense was coined by sex therapist and author Joe Kort in 2010 and popularized in 2013. The sense was coined by analogy with top and bottom and based on the metaphor of a box which has a top, bottom, and sides.

adj/ˈsaɪ̯d/[ˈsaɪ̯d]/ˈsɑɪ̯d/Australia[ˈsɑ̟ɪ̯d]Australia
  1. Being on the left or right, or toward the left or right; lateral.

  2. Indirect; oblique; incidental.

Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *seh₁-der. Proto-Germanic *sīdaz Proto-Germanic *sīdǭ Old English sīde Middle English side English side From Middle English side, from Old English sīde (“side, flank”), from Proto-Germanic *sīdǭ (“side, flank, edge, shore”), derived from *sīdaz, probably from Proto-Indo-European *seh₁- (“long, lasting”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Siede (“side”), West Frisian side (“side”), Dutch zijde, zij (“side”), German Low German Sied (“side”), German Seite (“side”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk side (“side”), Swedish sida (“side”). The LGBTQ slang sense was coined by sex therapist and author Joe Kort in 2010 and popularized in 2013. The sense was coined by analogy with top and bottom and based on the metaphor of a box which has a top, bottom, and sides.

verb/ˈsaɪ̯d/[ˈsaɪ̯d]/ˈsɑɪ̯d/Australia[ˈsɑ̟ɪ̯d]Australia
  1. To ally oneself, be in an alliance, usually with "with" or rarely "in with"

    intransitive
    Which will you side with, good or evil?
  2. To lean on one side.

  3. To be or stand at the side of; to be on the side toward.

    obsolete · transitive
  4. To suit; to pair; to match.

    obsolete · transitive
  5. To work (a timber or rib) to a certain thickness by trimming the sides.

    transitive
  6. To furnish with a siding.

    transitive
    to side a house
  7. To provide with, as a side or accompaniment.

    transitive
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *seh₁-der. Proto-Germanic *sīdaz Proto-Germanic *sīdǭ Old English sīde Middle English side English side From Middle English side, from Old English sīde (“side, flank”), from Proto-Germanic *sīdǭ (“side, flank, edge, shore”), derived from *sīdaz, probably from Proto-Indo-European *seh₁- (“long, lasting”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Siede (“side”), West Frisian side (“side”), Dutch zijde, zij (“side”), German Low German Sied (“side”), German Seite (“side”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk side (“side”), Swedish sida (“side”). The LGBTQ slang sense was coined by sex therapist and author Joe Kort in 2010 and popularized in 2013. The sense was coined by analogy with top and bottom and based on the metaphor of a box which has a top, bottom, and sides.

adj/ˈsaɪ̯d/[ˈsaɪ̯d]/ˈsɑɪ̯d/Australia[ˈsɑ̟ɪ̯d]Australia
  1. Wide; large; long, pendulous, hanging low, trailing; far-reaching.

    Northern-England · Scotland · UK · archaic · dialectal
  2. Far; distant.

    Scotland
Where this word comes from

From Middle English side, syde, syd, from Old English sīd (“wide, broad, spacious, ample, extensive, vast, far-reaching”), from Proto-West Germanic *sīd, from Proto-Germanic *sīdaz (“drooping, hanging, low, excessive, extra”), from Proto-Indo-European *sēy- (“to send, throw, drop, sow, deposit”). Cognate with obsolete Dutch zijd (“wide, vast”), Low German sied (“low”), Swedish sid (“long, hanging down”), Icelandic síður (“low hanging, long”).

adv/ˈsaɪ̯d/[ˈsaɪ̯d]/ˈsɑɪ̯d/Australia[ˈsɑ̟ɪ̯d]Australia
  1. Widely; wide; far.

    UK · dialectal
Where this word comes from

From Middle English side, syde, syd, from Old English sīd (“wide, broad, spacious, ample, extensive, vast, far-reaching”), from Proto-West Germanic *sīd, from Proto-Germanic *sīdaz (“drooping, hanging, low, excessive, extra”), from Proto-Indo-European *sēy- (“to send, throw, drop, sow, deposit”). Cognate with obsolete Dutch zijd (“wide, vast”), Low German sied (“low”), Swedish sid (“long, hanging down”), Icelandic síður (“low hanging, long”).

verb/ˈsaɪ̯d/[ˈsaɪ̯d]/ˈsɑɪ̯d/Australia[ˈsɑ̟ɪ̯d]Australia
  1. To clear, tidy or sort.

Where this word comes from

From Middle English side, syde, syd, from Old English sīd (“wide, broad, spacious, ample, extensive, vast, far-reaching”), from Proto-West Germanic *sīd, from Proto-Germanic *sīdaz (“drooping, hanging, low, excessive, extra”), from Proto-Indo-European *sēy- (“to send, throw, drop, sow, deposit”). Cognate with obsolete Dutch zijd (“wide, vast”), Low German sied (“low”), Swedish sid (“long, hanging down”), Icelandic síður (“low hanging, long”).

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.