- 1[countable, usually singular] either of the two halves of a surface, an object, or an area that is divided by an imaginary central line They drive on the left side of the road in the Bahamas. the right side of the brain satellite links to the other side of the world She was on the far side of the room. They crossed from one side of the city to the other. Stay on your side of the bed!
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- 2[countable, usually singular] a position or an area to the left or right of something There is a large window on either side of the front door. He crossed the bridge to the other side of the river. people on both sides of the Atlantic She tilted her head to one side.
- 3[countable] one of the flat surfaces of something that is not the top or bottom, front or back Write your name on the side of the box. There's a scratch on the side of my car. The kitchen door is at the side of the house. a side door/entrance/window Now lay the jar on its side. A notice was stuck to the side of the filing cabinet.
- 4[countable] the vertical or sloping surface around something, but not the top or bottom of it A path went up the side of the hill. Brush the sides of the pan with butter. see hillside, mountainside edge
- 5[countable] a part or an area of something near the edge and away from the middle She stood at the far side of the room, hoping not to be noticed. A van was parked at the side of the road. the south side of the lake The player received treatment on the side of the court. We planted tulips along the side of the lawn. see bedside, fireside, ringside, riverside, roadside, seaside of body
- 6[countable, usually singular] either the right or left part of a person's body, from the armpit (= where the arm joins the body) to the hip She has a pain down her right side. He was lying on his side. near to someone or something
- 7[singular] a place or position very near to someone or something Stay close by my side. Her husband stood at her side.
- 8[countable] either of two surfaces of something flat and thin, such as paper or cloth Write on one side of the paper only. Fry the steaks for two minutes on each side. page
- 9[countable] the amount of writing needed to fill one side of a sheet of paper He told us not to write more than three sides. mathematics
- 10[countable] any of the flat surfaces of a solid object A cube has six sides.
- 11[countable] any of the lines that form a flat shape such as a square or triangle a shape with five sides The farm buildings form three sides of a square. -sided
- 12used in adjectives to state the number or type of sides a six-sided object a glass-sided container
- 13[countable] one of the two or more people or groups taking part in an argument, war, etc. Each side is capable of destroying the other in a nuclear war. We have finally reached an agreement acceptable to all sides. At some point during the war he seems to have changed sides. to be on the winning/losing side There are faults on both sides. The two sides announced a deal yesterday.
- 14[countable] one of the opinions, attitudes, or positions held by someone in an argument, a business arrangement, etc. We heard both sides of the argument. I just want you to hear my side of the story first. Will you keep your side of the bargain? aspect
- 15[countable] a particular aspect of something, especially a situation or a person's character These poems reveal her gentle side. This is a side of Alan that I never knew existed. the darker side of human nature It's good you can see the funny side of the situation. I'll take care of that side of things. sports team
- 16[countable] a sports team As captain, Price is confident of leading his side to victory. Their side won by 12 points. We were on the winning/losing side. of family
- 17[countable] the part of your family that people belong to who are related either to your mother or to your father a cousin on my father's side (= a child of my father's brother or sister)
- 18[countable] (informal) = side dish Your dinner comes with a choice of two sides. meat
- 19[countable] a side of beef/bacon, etc. one of the two halves of an animal that has been killed for meat Idioms
- 1out of your way I sat down and put my bags on one side.
- 2to be dealt with later I put his complaint to one side until I had more time. Leaving that to one side for now, are there any other questions?
- 1in addition to your main job a mechanic who buys and sells cars on the side
- 2secretly or illegally He's married but he has a girlfriend on the side.
- 3(of food in a restaurant) served at the same time as the main part of the meal, but on a separate plate; served next to something rather than on top of it I'd like a green salad, with the dressing on the side.
- 1close together and facing in the same direction There were two children ahead, walking side by side.
- 2together, without any difficulties We have been using both systems, side by side, for two years. The two communities exist happily side by side.
left/right
to support and agree with someone I'm definitely on your side in this. Whose side are you on anyway?
to choose between two possible choices
to show too much of a good quality I thought it was better to err on the side of caution (= to be too careful rather than take a risk).
moving to the left and then to the right and then back again He shook his head slowly from side to side. The ship rolled from side to side.
from or living in a poor area or part of town
to make someone pleased with you/annoyed with you
said about people who never seem happy with what they have and always think that other people have a better situation than they have
to have something as an advantage that will make it more likely that you will achieve something She may not win this year, but she does have youth on her side.
to know where you can get an advantage for yourself
to be cheerful or positive about a bad situation, for example by thinking only of the advantages and not the disadvantages
to stay with someone, especially in order to take care of them
in or from all directions; everywhere We realized we were surrounded on all sides. Disaster threatens on every side. She was bombarded with questions from all sides.
slightly too big, small, high, etc. These shoes are a little on the tight side. Don't you think you're a bit on the short side to play basketball?
used to introduce the good points about someone or something, especially after the bad points have been mentioned On the credit side, she's always willing to work very late.
on the woman's side of the family
in a situation that is different from the one that you are in
younger or older than 40, 50, etc. years of age
being especially careful; taking no risks I took some extra cash just to be on the safe side.
in trouble with the police
the aspect of a situation that is the opposite of or contrasts with the one you have been talking about
with the part that is usually outside facing you, in the correct way for wearing I had to turn some of the clothes right side out after washing them.
with the top part turned to the top; in the correct, normal position I dropped my toast, but luckily it fell right side up. opposite upside down
to laugh a lot at someone or something
to express support for someone in a disagreement She didn't think it was wise to take sides in their argument.
to speak to someone in private, especially in order to warn or tell them about something
a person or thing that repeatedly annoys someone or stops them from doing something
used to say that someone can wait for something to happen or can wait before doing something
used to talk about two ways of looking at the same situation
Check pronunciation: side