besides

[bih-sahydz] /bɪˈsaɪdz/
adverb
1.
moreover; furthermore; also:
Besides, I promised her we would come.
2.
in addition:
There are three elm trees and two maples besides.
3.
otherwise; else:
They had a roof over their heads but not much besides.
preposition
4.
over and above; in addition to:
Besides a mother he has a sister to support.
5.
other than; except:
There's no one here besides Bill and me.
Origin
1150-1200; Middle English; see beside, -s1
Can be confused
beside, besides (see usage note at beside)
Synonyms
1. further. Besides, moreover both indicate something additional to what has already been stated. Besides often suggests that the addition is in the nature of an afterthought: The bill cannot be paid as yet; besides, the work is not completed. Moreover is more formal and implies that the addition is something particular, emphatic, or important: I did not like the house; moreover, it was too high-priced.
Usage note
4, 5. See beside.
Examples from the web for besides
  • besides buying low, you sell shares when the markets soar.
  • besides full-time faculty members, the bargaining unit includes librarians and counselors.
  • Growing some ourselves saved quite a bit and was fun besides.
  • besides generating pharmaceuticals, transgenic animals can also provide research models of currently incurable human diseases.
  • besides basic red beets, nurseries and garden catalogs offer seeds of golden yellow and white varieties.
  • besides taming toxic side effects, the cancer treatment stuck around in the tumor longer, he said in an interview.
  • The excavation has turned up a variety of interesting artifacts besides the human remains.
  • besides throwing a curve into the usually angular vegetable garden, it saves space and is less likely to topple in wind.
  • besides location updates, owners can use accompanying software to create a virtual fence for the animal.
  • One of the strongest determinants, besides wealth, seems to be good governance including a broad commitment to the rule of law.
British Dictionary definitions for besides

besides

/bɪˈsaɪdz/
preposition
1.
apart from; even considering: besides costing too much, the scheme is impractical
sentence connector
2.
anyway; moreover
adverb
3.
as well
Word Origin and History for besides
prep.

attested from c.1200 (common after c.1400), from beside + adverbial genitive -s. Once sharing all the senses of beside, now properly limited to "in addition to, otherwise."