beyond
/bɪˈjɒnd
/preposition & adverb
1At or to the further side of: [as preposition]: he pointed to a spot beyond the concealing trees [as adverb]: from south of Dortmund as far as Essen and beyond...
- Behind the cabin was a large empty yard and beyond that trees and steep hillsides topped with pink cliffs and crags.
- Beyond that is a stand of trees, and beyond that, the village and its tiny bay.
- I understand the wedding is in June and the honeymoon destination is London and beyond.
Synonyms
on the far side of, on the farther side of, on the other side of, further on than, behind, past, after;
over;
Scottish outwith
further on, far off, far away, in the distance, afar
archaic yonder
1.1 [preposition] Outside the physical limits or range of: the hook which held the chandelier was beyond her reach...
- You cannot enter into the world of the spirit unless you go beyond your physical limits.
- Nothing human takes place outside the realm or beyond the reach of moral reason.
- The room was dark as she entered, but something shifted just beyond her range of sight and she froze where she stood.
1.2More extensive or extreme than; further-reaching than: [as preposition]: what these children go through is far beyond what most adults endure in a lifetime the authority of the inspectors goes beyond ordinary police powers [as adverb]: pushing the laws to their limits and beyond...
- And it was true that the exhausting task we had set ourselves was in some ways far beyond what ordinary rickshaw drivers ever attempted.
- Certainly it's a story of heroism and courage and ordinary Australians going far beyond the call of duty.
- We have to ask ourselves, before it is too late, why one man should do such a thing, which is far beyond the extremism of the present government?
2Happening or continuing after (a specified time, stage, or event): [as preposition]: training beyond the age of 14 [as adverb]: music going on into the night and beyond...
- He earmarks some of them for speeches to be used in training camp and beyond.
- It was diagnosed before he was delivered and the couple were told he would have a 75 per cent chance of reaching school age and beyond.
- As us female baby-boomers trail into middle age and beyond, there will be a lot more discussion about menopause.
Synonyms
later than, past, after
3Having progressed or achieved more than (a specified stage or level): [as preposition]: we need to get beyond square one his failure to rise beyond the rank of Undersecretary...
- Today she is developmentally not far ahead of a nine-month old child and is not expected to progress beyond the level of a two-year-old.
- Left to his own devices he never progressed much beyond the literacy level of a ten-year-old.
- It states that everyone gets promoted one rank beyond their level of competence.
3.1Above or greater than (a specified amount): [as preposition]: raising its stake beyond 15% [as adverb]: he could count up to a hundred thousand million now, and beyond...
- A few of us decided to get together and try and raise money above and beyond what people had already kindly donated.
- ‘I was amazed by the amount of work they did above and beyond their call of duty,’ said Stuart.
- But officers who repeatedly exceed detection targets or perform above and beyond the call of duty could be in line for bonuses.
Synonyms
greater than, more than, exceeding, in excess of, above, over and above, above and beyond, upwards of
4 [preposition] To or in a degree or condition where a specified action is impossible: the landscape has changed beyond recognition their integrity is beyond question...
- The prime minister's personal financial integrity is beyond question.
- If he ever does return from Westminster he might find the ideological landscape altered beyond recognition.
- The result though is a rising water table contaminated with salt, and a landscape changed beyond all recognition.
Synonyms
outside the range of, beyond the power/capacity of, outside the limitations of, surpassing
4.1Too much for (someone) to achieve or understand: the questions were well beyond the average adult...
- Tragically it's beyond them to understand the instinct that will make even a domestic hen attack anyone coming between her and her chicks.
- How that can be bad for this country is beyond me to understand.
- The internet is cool at the moment: modern, youth oriented, and totally beyond the average bloke on the street.
5 [preposition, with negative] Apart from; except: beyond telling us that she was well educated, he has nothing to say about her there was little vegetation beyond brush-growth...
- I don't know that I can comment about battery life beyond saying that I've never lost power, and I use it extensively.
- He didnt answer my question as to what I should do about this abscess in the meantime beyond telling me I needed to go to an oral surgeon.
- Beyond telling me to find new friends, Shelley was hinting that I was unattractive.
Synonyms
apart from, except, other than
noun (the beyond)
The unknown, especially in references to life after death: messages from the beyond...
- And over the years, he has literally stepped over life's edge to explore the world of the beyond.
- The cellar of an old hotel is built on top of the door to the beyond.
- Barry's death shortly after Kelly's execution appeared an eerie fulfilment of the outlaw's promise to meet him in the beyond.
Phrases
the back of beyond
Origin
Old English begeondan, from be 'by' + geondan of Germanic origin (related to yon and yonder).