idiom · informal

be beside oneself

/bi bɪˈsaɪd wʌnˈsɛlf/be·be·SIDE·one·SELF

speaking

to be extremely upset or excited; overwhelmed with emotion

Examples

“She was beside herself with worry after her son didn't come home.”

“When he heard the good news, he was beside himself with joy.”

“Parents were beside themselves when their child went missing.”

Band 8 sentence

“When the police finally called with news of her son, she was beside herself with relief — months of uncertainty suddenly lifted.”

Collocations

  • be beside oneself with worry
  • be beside oneself with grief
  • be beside oneself with joy

Word family

be beside oneself idiom (base)was beside herself idiom (past, fem.)was beside himself idiom (past, masc.)

Common mistakes

She was besides herself with joy.→She was beside herself with joy.

She was beside herself about the newsable.→She was beside herself about the news.

Say it for a higher band

5be very upset→6be distraught→7+be beside oneself

Synonyms

be devastated

Easily confused

be out of oneself

“He was out of himself with anger.”

Related words

be on cloud ninedown in the dumpson edgekeep a stiff upper lipwear one's heart on one's sleevelet off steamhead over heels (in love)be over the moon

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In Emotions

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