amidst
Americanpreposition
Usage
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.
Etymology
Origin of amidst
1250–1300; Middle English amiddes; amid, -s 1; for -t against, amongst, etc.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A spokesperson for the national flag carrier said on Tuesday that it will implement "internal cost-reduction measures" to manage its finances to ensure the firm's "stability amidst rising fuel prices and global economic uncertainty".
From BBC
Amidst the oral argument’s discussion of recall and what makes a ballot final, Caren Short of the League of Women Voters was disappointed how little they discussed potential impacts on voters.
From Salon
After a walk through the facility, passing romping toddlers and their adoring moms gathered for a class of music and movement, we settle into one of the school’s teaching rooms to discuss the project amidst a smattering of guitars, drums and music note-covered dry erase boards.
From Los Angeles Times
“Amidst the rhetoric it’s unclear how receptive Iran is to negotiating at this early stage, with one spokesman for Iran’s military saying that the U.S. was ‘negotiating with itself,’” notes Vertical Research Partners’ Robert Stallard.
From Barron's
The Nigerian government denies such claims, saying that members of all faiths have suffered amidst myriad conflicts which have engulfed rural parts of the country.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
