amid

[ uh-mid ]
See synonyms for amid on Thesaurus.com
preposition
  1. in the middle of; surrounded by; among: to stand weeping amid the ruins.

  2. during; in or throughout the course of.

Origin of amid

1
before 1000; Middle English amidde, Old English amiddan, for on middan “in (the) middle.” See a-1, mid1

Words that may be confused with amid

Other definitions for amid- (2 of 2)

amid-

  1. variant of amido- before a vowel: amidase.

Origin of amid-

2
First recorded in 1870–75

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use amid in a sentence

  • The night passed amid various excursions on the part of Aristide and alarms on the part of Jean.

  • In the aperture of the window, amid piles of paper, stood a rickety old table, covered with dust.

    Hilda Lessways | Arnold Bennett
  • His steps led him now not to the beach, but to the Cemetery of Rocklington, amid the potato-fields.

  • Dressed in full uniform, amid cries of "Long live our King Joachim," the unfortunate man landed with twenty-six followers.

    Napoleon's Marshals | R. P. Dunn-Pattison
  • There, amid the deep silence of the listening centuries, he would find peace; forgetting himself a moment, he might find—strength.

    The Wave | Algernon Blackwood

British Dictionary definitions for amid

amid

amidst

/ (əˈmɪd) /


preposition
  1. in the middle of; among

Origin of amid

1
Old English on middan in the middle; see mid 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012