directly beside

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "directly beside" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to indicate that something is located immediately next to something else without any intervening space. Example: "The coffee shop is directly beside the bookstore, making it a convenient stop for readers."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Wiki

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

59 human-written examples

Want to go to a club that isn't in, or directly beside, downtown Vancouver?

Vice

They wanted an old farmhouse that wasn't directly beside a road.

The New York Times

Tapka lay on her little bed, Clonchik resting directly beside her.

The New Yorker

Atlanta is one of the few big American cities that is not sited directly beside a large body of water.

The Economist

As you approach this statue from the east on the A421, something else catches the eye, directly beside Greg's roundabout.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

Unfortunately, a study buddy is very often a friend, which means a living, breathing distraction is likely to be sitting directly beside you.

Stanford University

The hotel is directly beside the entrance to the National September 11 Memorial and Museum, where security is heavy and firearms are forbidden.

The New York Times

And then their boat soon settled again, and the mother gray came back around once more, her head popping up out of the water now directly beside Pachico.

The New York Times - Magazine

The baby gray glided up to the boat's edge, and then the whole of his long, hornbill-shaped head was rising up out of the water directly beside me, a huge, ovoid eye slowly opening to take me in.

The New York Times - Magazine

As she passed directly beside us, the young man jumped out of the bushes, dropped to one knee, opened a small blue box and asked for her hand in marriage.

The New York Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

1 human-written examples

Besides directly challenging U.S. sanctions proposals, Putin has also ignored — or encouraged — Russian businesses when they violate existing sanctions on trade with North Korea.

The Washington Post

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "directly beside" when you want to emphasize that there's no intervening space between two things. It adds a sense of immediacy to the spatial relationship.

Common error

Avoid using "directly beside" in every instance where you mean 'next to'. Overuse can make your writing sound repetitive. Consider using "immediately next to" or "adjacent to" for variety.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "directly beside" functions as a prepositional phrase, modifying a noun or pronoun to indicate its location relative to another object. Ludwig examples show it providing specific spatial orientation.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

44%

Wiki

24%

Science

22%

Less common in

Academia

2%

Formal & Business

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "directly beside" is a grammatically sound and commonly used prepositional phrase that indicates immediate adjacency. As Ludwig AI confirms, this phrase is correct and functions to precisely locate one object relative to another. While suitable for various contexts, be mindful of overuse and consider alternatives like "immediately next to" or "adjacent to" for stylistic variation. This phrase appears frequently in news, media, and scientific writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

immediately next to

Emphasizes the lack of intervening space or time.

right next to

More informal and emphasizes the immediate proximity.

adjacent to

A more formal way of saying "next to".

in close proximity to

Highlights the nearness in a more descriptive way.

in immediate adjacency to

A very formal and emphatic way of saying "next to".

abutting

Implies physical touching or bordering.

flanking

Suggests being on one or both sides of something.

on the immediate side of

Focuses on the side and the lack of distance.

hard by

An archaic term meaning very close to.

alongside

Indicates being side by side, often lengthwise.

FAQs

How to use "directly beside" in a sentence?

Use "directly beside" to indicate that something is located immediately next to something else without any intervening space. For example, "The coffee shop is "directly beside" the bookstore".

What can I say instead of "directly beside"?

You can use alternatives like "immediately next to", "right next to", or "adjacent to" depending on the context.

Which is correct, "directly beside" or "direct beside"?

"Directly beside" is the correct and more common phrase. "Direct beside" is less frequently used and may sound awkward to native English speakers.

What's the difference between "directly beside" and "nearby"?

"Directly beside" implies that something is immediately adjacent, while "nearby" suggests that something is in the general vicinity but not necessarily touching or immediately next to something else.