amid

¹

[uh-mid]

preposition

1. in the middle of; surrounded by; among.

   to stand weeping amid the ruins.

2. during; in or throughout the course of.

amid-

²

1. variant of amido- before a vowel.

   amidase.

amid

/ əˈmɪd /

preposition

1. in the middle of; among

Word History and Origins

Origin of amid¹

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

Origin of amid²

First recorded in 1870–75

Word History and Origins

Origin of amid¹

Old English on middan in the middle; see _mid ¹

Example Sentences

But in keeping with the trajectory of a down-and-up-and-down-again season, the dream ended amid a flurry of sacks and failed third- and fourth-down conversions.

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There was leadership, Iamaleava telling teammates that if they wanted to leave amid the dismissal of their head coach and the departure of their offensive coordinator, go ahead.

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On hold: Apple has yanked the French-language thriller “The Hunt,” which was scheduled to premiere Dec. 3, amid allegations of plagiarism.

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Amid the fusillade of terrible headlines this year, one pierced my nerdy heart.

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At the Armenian Cathedral, Leo said had words of encouragement for the largest of Turkey's Christian communities that counts some 50,000 members, thanking God "for the courageous Christian witness of the Armenian people throughout history, often amid tragic circumstances".

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When To Use

What’s the difference between amid and amidst?

Amid and amidst mean the same thing: in the middle of or during.This can apply to spaces (as in I found my keys amid/amidst all of my other stuff) or situations (as in It was hard to concentrate amid/amidst all the chaos).Amid is the older and original form of the word. The -st ending (which is the same one found in other words like whilst and against) does not change the meaning.  The same thing applies to among and amongst (which can mean the same thing as amid and amidst).Contrary to popular misconceptions, amidst is not the British English version of amid. Although amid and amidst are completely interchangeable, amid is more commonly used.Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between amid and amidst, including how amidst got that -st.