among

[uh-muhng]

preposition

1. in, into, or through the midst of; in association or connection with; surrounded by.

   He was among friends.

2. in the midst of, so as to influence.

   missionary work among the local people.

3. with a share for each of.

   Divide the cigars among you.

4. in the number, class, or group of; of or out of.

   That is among the things we must do.

5. by all or with the whole of; by most or with many of.

   popular among the people.

6. by the joint or reciprocal action of.

   Settle it among yourselves.

7. each with the other; mutually.

   They quarreled among themselves.

8. familiar to or characteristic of.

   a proverb among the Spanish.

among

/ əˈmʌŋ /

preposition

1. in the midst of

   he lived among the Indians

2. to each of

   divide the reward among yourselves

3. in the group, class, or number of

   ranked among the greatest writers

4. taken out of (a group)

   he is only one among many

5. with one another within a group; by the joint action of

   a lot of gossip among the women employees

   decide it among yourselves

Confusables Note

See between.

Word History and Origins

Origin of among¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English, Old English amang, onmang for on gemang, on gemonge (dative singular of gemong “crowd,” akin to mengan “to mix”) “in (the) group (of)”; akin to mingle

Word History and Origins

Origin of among¹

Old English amang, contracted from on gemang in the group of, from _on + gemang crowd; see _mingle , _mongrel

Example Sentences

They may even be among the workers who the president thinks “deserve” to get back pay if the shutdown ever ends.

Read more on MarketWatch

Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier were among nearly three dozen people arrested for what federal law-enforcement officials called “the most brazen sports-corruption schemes since online sports betting became widely legalized.”

Read more on MarketWatch

As part of the press conference announcing the multiyear investigation, the indictments were detailed, and officials referred to sportsbooks as among those that had been defrauded.

Read more on MarketWatch

The penacho, experts say, was likely among the Mexican booty that the conquering Spanish dispatched back across the Atlantic.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“For I saw among them wonderful works of art, and I marveled at the subtle Ingenia of men in foreign lands.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times