among

preposition

ə-ˈməŋ 

variants or less commonly amongst

ə-ˈməŋ(k)st 

1

: in or through the midst of : surrounded by

hidden among the trees

2

: in company or association with

living among artists

3

: by or through the aggregate of

discontent among the poor

4

: in the number or class of

wittiest among poets

among other things she was president of her college class

5

: in shares to each of

divided among the heirs

6

a

: through the reciprocal acts of

quarreling among themselves

b

: through the joint action of

made a fortune among themselves

Between vs. Among: Usage Guide

There is a persistent but unfounded notion that between can be used only of two items and that among must be used for more than two. Between has been used of more than two since Old English; it is especially appropriate to denote a one-to-one relationship, regardless of the number of items. It can be used when the number is unspecified

economic cooperation between nations

, when more than two are enumerated

between you and me and the lamppost

partitioned between Austria, Prussia, and Russia

—Nathaniel Benchley

, and even when only one item is mentioned (but repetition is implied).

pausing between every sentence to rap the floor

—George Eliot

Among is more appropriate where the emphasis is on distribution rather than individual relationships.

discontent among the peasants

When among is automatically chosen for more than two, English idiom may be strained.

a worthy book that nevertheless falls among many stools

—John Simon

the author alternates among mod slang, clichés and quotes from literary giants

—A. H. Johnston

Synonyms

• amid
• amidst
• mid
• midst
• through

Examples of among in a Sentence

The disease spread quickly among the members of the community.

The house is nestled among the trees.

The ball was hidden among the leaves.

There were ducks among the geese.

There were several hecklers scattered among the crowd.

He lived among artists and writers.

The people of the town were frightened to think that a killer might be living among them.

Recent Examples on the Web

However, the study authors note their findings should be interpreted with caution due to the low number of participants among other factors. —Michelle Pugle, Verywell Health, 10 Dec. 2024

Boyd Holbrook as Johnny Cash has some brief memorable scenes as well, as do Dan Fogler and Norbert Leo Butz among those in Dylan’s life. —Pete Hammond, Deadline, 10 Dec. 2024

Most notable among them is the 5% jump in shares of Google parent Alphabet after the tech giant disclosed a quantum computing breakthrough. —Jeff Marks,kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 10 Dec. 2024

The Campaign For Music Education is co-chaired by Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, Bruno Mars, Shawn Mendes, and Rosalía, among others. —Thania Garcia, Variety, 10 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

among from Middle English, from Old English on gemonge, from on + gemonge, dative of gemong crowd, from ge- (associative prefix) + -mong (akin to Old English mengan to mix); amongst from Middle English amonges, from among + -es -s — more at com-, mingle

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

among

preposition

ə-ˈməŋ 

variants also amongst

-ˈməŋ(k)st 

1

: in or through the midst of

among the crowd

2

: in company with

you're among friends

3

: through all or most of

discontent among the poor

4

: in the class of

among my good qualities is patience

5

: in shares to each of

divided among the heirs