kerbside

kerbside — noun

1. the narrow strip of ground where the edge of a road meets the raised footpath be

1.nounB1
Definition

the narrow strip of ground where the edge of a road meets the raised footpath beside it; the area next to the kerb where vehicles can stop briefly, where people leave waste for collection, or where someone can stand before crossing the street.

Example

Emma saw a red bicycle chained to the post at the kerbside.

collocation: 'at the kerbside'

Dahlia left her recycling box at the kerbside before going to work.

collocation: 'leave something at the kerbside'

Common collocations
  • at the kerbside
  • by the kerbside
  • along the kerbside
  • kerbside collection
  • stop / pull up at the kerbside
  • leave something at the kerbside
  • wait at the kerbside
Synonyms
  • curbside

    American English equivalent; identical meaning but different spelling

  • gutter

    refers more specifically to the drainage channel at the edge of the road, not the strip beside the kerb

Grammar Patterns

at the kerbside

by the kerbside

leave something at the kerbside

stop / pull up at the kerbside

Usage Note

Frequently used in prepositional phrases ('at the kerbside', 'by the kerbside', 'along the kerbside'). This is the British English spelling — the American equivalent is 'curbside'. In British English, 'kerb' refers to the stone edge of the pavement, while 'kerbside' is the area next to it.

Common Mistakes

I left my car by the kerb side.
I left my car by the kerbside.
'kerbside' is a single compound word, not two separate words.
The bus stopped at the curbside.' (when writing for a British audience)
The bus stopped at the kerbside.
'kerbside' is the British spelling; 'curbside' is the American spelling.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Kerbside and curbside are spelling variants of the same concept — the area where a road meets the footpath — with 'kerbside' used in British English and 'curbside' in American English. Pavement (British) and sidewalk (American) refer to the raised walking path itself, not its edge: children walk on the pavement, not at the kerbside. Gutter describes the drainage channel at the very edge of the road, often running along the kerb. For example: 'The rubbish bags were left at the kerbside for collection' contrasts with 'The rain water flowed along the gutter' and 'Pedestrians stayed on the pavement.'

curbsidepavement ↗sidewalk ↗gutter

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • pull up at the kerbside
  • stop at the kerbside
  • leave something at the kerbside
  • wait by the kerbside

Prepositions

Etymology

FrenchEnglish

Formed from 'kerb' (the British spelling of 'curb', from Old French 'courbe' meaning 'curved', referring to the curved stone edge of a pavement) + 'side'. The spelling 'kerb' was adopted in 19th-century British English to distinguish the noun (the stone edge of a street) from the verb 'curb' (to restrain).