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 items since Old English; it is especially appropriate to signify a one-to-one relationship, regardless of the number of items. It can be used when the number is unspecified,

cooperation between nations

when more than two people or things are listed,

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 word

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

debate among researchers

Synonyms of among

• amid
• between
• through
• midst

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

Italy trained here before playing qualifiers at the Mapei, a ground which has hosted, among other things, Coppa Italia finals and the women’s Champions League final 10 years ago. —James Horncastle, New York Times, 7 May 2026

City staffers are required to get approval before their travel begins, not after, but those expenses were included among more than two dozen expense reports from the mayor’s office, which were approved without discussion. —Jeff Abell, Baltimore Sun, 7 May 2026

According to the site’s founder, Marile Borden, this branding opportunity reflected a newfound honesty among women about the frazzling demands of motherhood. —Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 7 May 2026

However, if recent debates are any indicators, this one could also become a showdown among the Democrat candidates calling out each other. —Paris Barraza, USA Today, 7 May 2026

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

Rhymes for among

• hirschsprung
• unsung
• bling
• bung
• clung
• dung
• flung
• fung
• hung
• lung
• rung
• slung

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