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Meaning & use

side return

noun·AdvancedBritish

Last updated

UK/ˈsaɪd rɪˌtɜːn/
US/ˈsaɪd rɪˌtɝːn/

Meanings

  1. nouncountableBritish

    The narrow strip of ground along the side of a house, especially between the house and the boundary wall.

    Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a side return' or 'the side return'; the plural is 'side returns'.

    Patterns

    • a side return between something and something
    • extend into the side return
    • the side return of a house

    They keep their bikes and bins in the side return.

    Our kitchen window looks straight out onto a dark side return.

    The side return is too narrow to park a car in.

  2. nouncountableBritish

    An extension built into that narrow strip, usually to widen a kitchen or add space at the back of a house.

    Grammar: Countable and often used with building verbs: 'build a side return', 'add a side return'.

    Patterns

    • build a side return
    • a side return extension
    • add a side return to something

    They built a side return to make the kitchen twice as wide.

    A side return is often cheaper than a full rear extension.

    The architects suggested a glass-roofed side return.

Word forms

pluralside returns

Common combinations

a side return extension
A side return extension gave them a much bigger kitchen.
build a side return
They saved for three years to build a side return.
a narrow side return
The narrow side return was only a metre wide.
extend into the side return
They extended into the side return and added a skylight.
a glass-roofed side return
The glass-roofed side return lets in a lot of light.

Synonyms and how they differ

alleyway
A passage between buildings or along the back of them; it is usually shared or public, while a side return belongs to one house.
passage
A general word for any narrow way through or between things; it does not suggest the strip beside a house.

Word family

side noun
One of the flat surfaces or edges of something, or the area to the left or right.
return noun
In building, a part of a wall or structure that turns back at an angle.

Commonly confused: side return or side entrance?

side return vs side entrance

A side entrance is a door at the side of a building; a side return is the strip of ground itself, not the doorway.

Practice

They knocked down the old lean-to and built a ______ so the kitchen could run the full width of the house.

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