sideways

sideways — adverb

1. moving, looking, or facing toward one of the two sides instead of straight ahead

1.adverbA2
Definition

moving, looking, or facing toward one of the two sides instead of straight ahead.

Example

A small crab scuttled sideways across the wet sand toward the ocean.

collocation: scuttle / walk sideways

Yara glanced sideways at her friend when the speaker made a strange claim.

Common collocations
  • move sideways
  • walk sideways
  • step sideways
  • glance sideways
  • look sideways
  • shift sideways
  • slide sideways
Synonyms
  • laterally

    more formal and technical; used in scientific or precise contexts

  • to the side

    less compact, but common in everyday speech

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

[verb] + sideways (direction)

[verb] + sideways + at/past/through + [noun]

Usage Note

Frequently used with verbs of motion such as 'move', 'step', 'slide', 'shift', and with 'look' / 'glance' to describe indirect or suspicious looks.

Common Mistakes

He looked sideways at the menu.' (when meaning he read the menu).
He glanced sideways at his friend.
'sideways' with 'look' or 'glance' describes a sideways-directed look, not reading something.

2. in a position where the side of a person or thing points toward the front rather

2.adverbB1
Definition

in a position where the side of a person or thing points toward the front rather than the front or back itself.

Example

The wardrobe was too tall for the doorway, so Lukas carried it sideways.

collocation: carry [object] sideways

Élise turned her body sideways to fit through the crowded train aisle.

Common collocations
  • turn sideways
  • carry [object] sideways
  • hold sideways
  • fit sideways
  • position sideways
  • sleep sideways
Synonyms
  • edgewise

    used specifically for thin objects passing through gaps; less common for people

  • broadside

    nautical or technical; refers to the whole side facing something

Antonyms
  • face-on

    with the front directly toward something

  • head-on

    with the front of a person or vehicle leading

Grammar Patterns

[verb] + sideways (orientation)

turn + sideways

carry/hold/position + [object] + sideways

Usage Note

Common when describing how to fit or carry large objects through narrow spaces, or how a person positions their body to pass through a tight gap.

Common Mistakes

The car turned sideways to park.' (confusing with TO THE SIDE sense).
Pam turned sideways to squeeze past the bookshelf in the hallway.
this sense is about body or object orientation, not the direction of movement.

sideways — adjective

Word family

  • side
    nounA1
  • side
    verbB2
  • sidewise
    adverbC1
  • sidle
    verbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

These all describe direction away from straight ahead, but differ in formality and usage. 'Sideways' is the everyday word — you use it for crabs, cars, glances, and shifting on a bench. 'Laterally' is more formal and technical, common in fields like anatomy, physics, or engineering ('the building shifted laterally by 3 cm'). 'Obliquely' adds the idea of an angle or slant; it often describes a movement or look that is neither straight nor fully to one side. 'To the side' is a phrase that works in the same contexts as 'sideways' but sounds slightly more deliberate ('he stepped to the side'). In casual speech, 'sideways' wins for most situations; choose 'laterally' for precision, and 'obliquely' when the angle matters.

sideways ↗laterallyobliguelyto the side

Common collocations

Adverbs

  • slightly sideways
  • a little sideways
  • almost sideways

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Formed in English from 'side' (from Old English 'sīde', meaning the flank or edge of something) + '-ways' (a suffix that forms adverbs of direction or manner, related to 'way'). First recorded in the late 1500s. The pattern follows other directional adverbs like 'always', 'endways', and 'lengthways'.