among

preposition \ ə-ˈməŋ \

variants: or less commonly amongst play \-ˈməŋ(k)st\

|Updated on: 14 Aug 2018

Usage guide: between vs. among

Examples: among in a Sentence

Definition of among

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

See among defined for English-language learners

See among defined for kids

between vs. among

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

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 of among from the Web

Sutton said Yobe could also be used in military communications, to enable better communications among groups of soldiers on a battlefield.

— hiawatha bray, BostonGlobe.com, "Tech community wrestles over working with government," 13 July 2018
To be sure, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in aggregate and on average made more money than other groups, though the report noted that education and income varied widely among sub-groups.

— NBC News, "Asian Americans now most economically divided group in U.S., report finds," 12 July 2018
At times, the movement was a bit busy, particularly when McNicol tried to highlight a solo or duet among the group.

— ellen dunkel, Philly.com, "BalletX heats up the summer with 3 premieres and live music," 12 July 2018
The police initially sought suspects for the shootings among immigrant groups, questioning members of the victims’ families.

— New York Times, "Neo-Nazi Terrorist Jailed for Life in Case That Shamed Germany’s Spies," 11 July 2018
Business owners, universities and government entities, among other groups, can hire these special officers to guard their property.

— talia richman, baltimoresun.com, "A 'special police officer' shot a Baltimore man. What is that?," 11 July 2018
This demonstration by a woman who removed her hijab in public in Tehran last year is among a number of protests against restrictions on Iranian women.

— sune engel rasmussen, WSJ, "Facing Threats at Home and Abroad, Iran’s President Takes a Harder Line," 11 July 2018
Emmoni is among a growing number of girls taking up wrestling.

— sarah freishtat, Aurora Beacon-News, "'Ten years ago, you'd never dream of doing this': Girls wrestling gaining popularity," 11 July 2018
Equality California, the largest branch of a national nonprofit that advocates for LGBTQ rights, is among the groups planning to attend the protest.

— diana lambert, sacbee, "Derogatory column about gays to draw protesters to Dixon," 10 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'among.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of among

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 co-, mingle

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year