Poolside means at or near the edge of a swimming pool. When you sit poolside on a summer afternoon, you're positioned right next to the water, maybe dangling your feet in while you read a book or enjoy a snack. Hotels often have poolside chairs and umbrellas where guests can relax, and poolside tables at resorts let you eat lunch without leaving the pool area.

The word describes both a location and an activity. You might spend a lazy Saturday poolside with friends, playing cards between swims. A poolside party means the celebration happens around the pool, with people moving back and forth between the deck and the water. Lifeguards work poolside, watching swimmers from their elevated chairs.

Poolside also appears as an adjective: poolside furniture, poolside service, or poolside cabanas. When someone says “meet me poolside,” they mean the area surrounding the pool where people gather, not in the water itself.