among

preposition

\ ə-ˈməŋ

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

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

6a : through the reciprocal acts of quarreling among themselves

b : through the joint action of made a fortune among themselves

Synonyms Between vs. Among: Usage Guide More Example Sentences Learn More about among

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Synonyms for among

Synonyms

amid (or amidst), mid, midst, through

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

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

These ongoing labor disputes are important for several reasons, chief among them that there is more than just one group’s future at stake. — Kim Kelly, Teen Vogue, "Education Workers on Campuses Around the Country Are Demanding Better Labor Conditions," 10 Jan. 2019 The Journal, besides reviewing the documents, interviewed people in position to know the events, among them a former official of Mr. Najib’s government. — Bradley Hope, WSJ, "WSJ Investigation: China Offered to Bail Out Troubled Malaysian Fund in Return for Deals," 7 Jan. 2019 Considering that phones these days are pretty much all screen, learning how to fix a display can become pretty necessary, especially for the clumsy among us. — Kevin Dupzyk, Popular Mechanics, "How To Repair a Cracked Phone Screen," 28 Dec. 2018 These companies—Lime and Bird being the largest among them—seem to be repeating the same business tactic that Uber and Lyft pioneered years ago. — Cyrus Farivar, Ars Technica, "Oakland official: “We want to get Americans out of their cars and solve racism”," 12 Dec. 2018 Only five species of rhino still exist, and among them the Rhinoceros sondaicus, or Javan rhino, is the most endangered. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Devastating Tsunami Threatens Endangered Rhinos," 28 Dec. 2018 Or look to the handful of active Reddit communities, among them r/GoneWildAudio and r/PillowtalkAudio. — Jessie Militare, Marie Claire, "The Future of Women-Friendly Erotica Is Audio Porn, According to This App," 26 Dec. 2018 There were more than 11,000 attendees at that particular rally, and the Hart family were among them. — Glamour, "Broken Harts, Episode 3: 'The Perfect People'," 18 Dec. 2018 Nik Sharma is among those who think 2019 will see a return to the group chat as our social network of choice. — Casey Newton, The Verge, "22 predictions for social media in 2019," 15 Dec. 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.