wayside

noun

way·​side ˈwā-ˌsīd How to pronounce wayside (audio)
: the side of or land adjacent to a road or path
wayside adjective
Phrases
by the wayside
: out of consideration : into a condition of neglect or disuse
usually used with fall

Examples of wayside in a Sentence

Flowers grew along the wayside.
Recent Examples on the Web The proposals that have fallen by the wayside are: A tax in the city of San Diego on real estate sales of more than $2.5 million, which was intended to fund affordable-housing projects. Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2024 Unfortunately, in today’s short forms of communication, i.e., messages, tweets, blogs, etc., benefits fall by the wayside. Jerry Weissman, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 However, key policy priorities including site-neutral payments and reform to pharmacy benefit managers’ practices are falling by the wayside as the talks progress. Rachel Cohrs Reprints, STAT, 26 Feb. 2024 As more aldermen fall by the wayside, Marin becomes the prime suspect. Sandra Dallas, The Denver Post, 25 Feb. 2024 During the 8th to 10th centuries, this practice fell by the wayside and the penitential season of Lent started being marked with ashes placed on the heads of the entire congregation. Chris Sims, The Courier-Journal, 14 Feb. 2024 Updating wine lists often falls by the wayside as managers juggle other tasks. Eric Asimov, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2024 Much best practice advice is quite simple, and yet falls by the wayside. Agur Jõgi, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024 While domesticated cats clearly possessed a range of recognition abilities, it was assumed that undomesticated cats possessed few or none, with the Felidae’s vocal skills slipping to the wayside. Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 15 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wayside.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of wayside was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near wayside

Cite this Entry

“Wayside.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wayside. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

wayside

noun
way·​side ˈwā-ˌsīd How to pronounce wayside (audio)
: the side or border of a road or path
wayside adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on wayside

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