amidst

[uh-midst]

preposition

1. amid.

Word History and Origins

Origin of amidst¹

1250–1300; Middle English amiddes; amid, -s ¹; for -t against, amongst, etc.

Example Sentences

"Our business is at a standstill," one motorbike taxi driver told the BBC, as many others pushed their vehicles to join the petrol lines amidst chaotic scenes in Bamako.

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A former New York Times opinion page editor who resigned after she claimed to have been “silenced” amidst the George Floyd protests in 2020, Weiss went on to found the Free Press on Substack.

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The prime minister denied his leadership was "hanging by a thread" amidst reports the Mayor of Manchester Andy Burnham is preparing a leadership challenge.

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He was asked to conduct a review amidst concerns which arose during legal action brought by two Belfast journalists, Barry McCaffrey and Trevor Birney.

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But amidst this massive effort to manipulate his image into martyrdom, the biggest voices on the right are exploiting Kirk’s death for their own agenda.

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When To Use

What’s the difference between amidst and amid?

Amidst and amid mean the same thing: in the middle of or during.This can apply to spaces (as in I found my keys amidst/amid all of my other stuff) or situations (as in It was hard to concentrate amidst/amid 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 amidst and amid are completely interchangeable, amid is more commonly used.Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between amidst and amid, including how amidst got that -st.