side
noun · adjective · verb
Simple meaning
A flat surface of an object, or the left or right part
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
sydIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈsaɪd
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A surface forming part of the outside of an object
“He examined all sides of the crystal.”
An extended outer surface of an object
“He turned the box over to examine the bottom side.”
Either the left or right half of a body
“He had a pain in his side.”
A flat surface of a three-dimensional object; a face.
One half (left or right, top or bottom, front or back, etc.) of something or someone.
A bounding straight edge of a two-dimensional shape.
adjective
Being on the left or right, or toward the left or right; lateral.
Indirect; oblique; incidental.
verb
intransitive
To ally oneself, be in an alliance, usually with "with" or rarely "in with"
transitive
To furnish with a siding.
To clear, tidy or sort.
To lean on one side.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A surface forming part of the outside of an object
Used this way, side is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“He examined all sides of the crystal.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “side of …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Natural pattern: side of …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
How It’s Used
The word’s distinct uses, one example each.
Surface / extendednoun
“He examined all sides of the crystal.”
Either / halfnoun
“He had a pain in his side.”
More ways to use side
- “He gets his brains from his father's side.”noun
- “He turned the box over to examine the bottom side.”noun
- “He had a pain in his side.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A view from the side of something.
A paddle steamer having a paddle wheel on each side.
Facial hair that has grown down the side of a man's face in front of the ears (especially when the rest of the beard is shaved off).
The grounds at either side of a house.
A firearm that is held and fired with one hand.
One of the most abundant lizards in the arid western United States.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
With one side forward or to the front.
A line that marks the side boundary of a playing field.
A removable board fitted on the side of a wagon to increase its capacity.
The side of an automobile tire.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.