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

De Passe is getting her flowers for a career that included a long stint as one of the major players at Motown, developing the Jackson 5 into superstars and signing the Commodores, among other triumphs, before becoming a film and TV executive. —Chris Willman, Variety, 22 Apr. 2024

Poll: Biden support drops dramatically among young men. —Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2024

Motherhood is Beautiful Low self-esteem among mothers can often be a by-product of changes to their bodies during and after birth. —Tyler Shepherd, USA TODAY, 21 Apr. 2024

In addition, neither the state nor the county has any official mutual aid agreements among their fire departments, resulting in a cumbersome and slow process for dispatching and relocating equipment. —Brianna Sacks and Anumita Kaur The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 21 Apr. 2024

Poke, who transferred from West Virginia and played for Lewis at Kent State, was regarded as the top performer among the receivers this spring. —Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Apr. 2024

Money raised from this fundraiser would be split among the Trump campaign, Trump's Save America PAC, which has footed much of Trump's legal bills, the RNC and 40 other state GOP committees. —Soo Rin Kim, ABC News, 20 Apr. 2024

Kevin Seefried, Alexander Sheppard and Thomas B. Adams Jr. were among the most recent defendants who have been ordered released. —Spencer S. Hsu, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024

Editor’s Note: This feature is part of CNN Style’s series Hyphenated, which explores the complex issue of identity among minorities in the United States. —Leah Dolan, CNN, 9 Apr. 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 modesty

5

: in shares to each of

divided among the heirs