variants or less commonly amongst
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

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 The report looks at the following factors that contribute to noisy cities: Population density, traffic density, public transportation, construction projects, and the number of flights per day, among other factors. The Courier-Journal, 16 Mar. 2024 Chief among these attributes is a songbook that’s deep and sturdy, weathered enough to showcase how the trio is a tight and efficient unit, keeping hooks at the forefront without succumbing to the formalism of power pop. Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rolling Stone, 16 Mar. 2024 The islands provided habitats and hiding places for the axolotls, which thrived among the chinampas for 1,000 years. Kate Golembiewski, CNN, 16 Mar. 2024 On that day, many of the thermally fearful may have lost interest in quarreling over whether spring had truly established itself among us. Martin Weil, Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2024 Republican candidates tried to maximize turnout among this electoral base, while adding a majority of independent voters to the GOP column. Matthew Continetti, National Review, 16 Mar. 2024 Campillo said a strong argument for the sales tax increase is that San Diego’s rate is the lowest in the county and among the lowest in the state. David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Mar. 2024 But the new survey identified gaps in knowledge among the general public. Maggie O'Neill, Health, 5 Mar. 2024 Chief among those is the United States, which, since Marcos came to power, has been steadily firming up a relationship that suffered during the Duterte years with deals that expand its access to Philippine military bases. Kathleen Magramo, CNN, 4 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'among.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of among was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near among

Cite this Entry

“Among.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/among. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

among

preposition
variants also amongst
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

More from Merriam-Webster on among

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