on the side

English

AI In plain words

Writing a short explanation…

Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.

on the side

phrase

  1. Separate from the main course of a meal. Shish kebab is skewered lamb with rice on the side.
  2. Supplementary or in addition to one's usual job or income. You don't want to jeopardize your primary source of income or any savings you've socked away in your effort to boost your earnings on the side.
  3. Additional, surreptitious; often with a connotation of dishonesty, illegality or adultery. I shouted to make sure she knew that I wasn't just some ho on the side. If anyone was on the side, it was her.

Translations

Every language

prep_phrase supplementary or in addition to one's usual job or income

Portuguêsextra

Talk about this word

Cite this
MLA

"on the side." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/on%20the%20side. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

on the side. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/on%20the%20side

Chicago

"on the side." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/on%20the%20side.

BibTeX
@misc{on_the_side_2026,
  title = {on the side},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/on%20the%20side},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}