Meaning & use
besides
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Meanings
preposition
In addition to someone or something; as well as.
Grammar: Followed by a noun or pronoun: besides the cost, besides me.
Patterns
- besides someone/something
Besides the money, we also need more time.
Who else was there besides you?
She has many hobbies besides painting.
preposition
Except for someone or something; other than.
Grammar: Used to exclude: no one besides her knew.
Patterns
- besides someone/something
No one besides the manager can approve this.
I have no friends besides you.
Besides that, everything is fine.
adverb
Used to add another reason or point; furthermore.
Grammar: Starts a new sentence or clause: Besides, it's too late.
Patterns
- besides, ...
I don't want to go; besides, I'm tired.
Besides, we can't afford it anyway.
She's qualified; besides, she has experience.
Common combinations
- besides the point
- What you're saying is besides the point.
- besides that
- Besides that, there's nothing else to discuss.
- besides which
- He's late, besides which he forgot the files.
- no one besides
- No one besides us knows the truth.
Synonyms and how they differ
- in addition to
- More formal and often used at the start of a clause; besides is more common in speech.
- apart from
- Can mean 'except for' like besides, but is more neutral and common in British English.
- moreover
- Very formal; used to add a point in writing, not in everyday speech like besides.
Commonly confused: besides or beside?
besides vs beside
Beside means 'next to' (sit beside me). Besides means 'in addition to' or 'except'.
Practice
Choose the correct word: ___ the rain, the traffic made us late.
Choose one answer.
Besides means 'in addition to' here. Beside means 'next to', and 'except' or 'apart' would need 'from' or 'for' to fit the sentence.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “besides”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.