side

The word “side” means one of the surfaces or edges of an object, or one of two halves (left/right, front/back) of something. In plain terms, a surface, edge, half, team, viewpoint, or accompanying dish — one of many senses all built around the idea of "one part of a whole".

“Side” is pronounced SYD (/ˈsaɪ̯d/ in IPA).

Here is “side” used in a sentence: “Write your name on the other side of the page.”

Depending on how it is used, “side” can be a noun and a verb.

The word “side” comes from Old English. From Old English sīde ("side, flank"), from a Germanic root related to Proto-Indo-European words for "long" or "lasting".

“Side” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

“Side” has 5 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: one of the surfaces or edges of an object, or one of two halves (left/right, front/back) of something.

An edge is the line where two surfaces meet, like the sharp rim of a table. A side is usually a whole surface or face, or one half of something — the left side, the far side. So a box has flat sides but sharp edges where those sides come together.

'Side' has several senses. It can mean a surface or edge of an object, one of two halves such as left and right, a team or group in a contest ('our side won'), or one point of view in an argument ('hear both sides'). Context makes the meaning clear.

It depends on the shape. A triangle has three sides, a square or rectangle has four, a pentagon five, and so on. In flat geometry each side is one of the straight edges forming the outline. A circle, having no straight edges, is usually described as having no sides at all.

You might say, 'Write on both sides of the paper,' meaning its surfaces, or 'She sat on the other side of the room,' meaning one half of a space. 'Side' can also mean allegiance, as in 'Whose side are you on?'