among
Often confused with between
- 1Being one of, or belonging to, a group.
The bridge is among the oldest in Europe.
Among the guests were two former ministers.
UsageOften with a superlative (among the best means one of the best); at the start, the verb often comes first: Among them were.
Note
Here the word marks membership rather than position: to be among the few is to be one of the few. Paired with a superlative it makes a hedged claim. Among the oldest in Europe places the bridge in the top group without giving it a rank.
- 2Shared within a group, as a feature or a state.
Support for the plan is strong among younger voters.
Rumors circulated among the staff.
UsageOften after words like common, popular or strong: popular among teenagers.
Similarwithin
Note
Here the group is treated as a population, and a feature is spread across its members: common among, strong among, believed among. It is the natural preposition of surveys and public health. The 1611 Bible already uses it this way in "believed among us." Unlike the membership meaning, it says nothing about any one member. What matters is how widely the trait or belief runs through the group.
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- The King James Bible was first published in 1611. en.wikipedia.org
- Luke 1:1 uses 'believed among us' for belief shared within a group; the item's quotation modernizes the original spelling. en.wiktionary.org
- 3Marks a group of more than two people or things that something is split up, shared out or picked from, or whose members interact with each other.
Voters had to choose among five candidates for the open council seat.
Tips are shared equally among the six servers at the end of each night.
UsageFor a group taken as a whole: share among the staff, choose among five. Between also works for three or more taken one by one.
Similarbetween
- 4Mingled or intermixed with distinct, separable things or people ('how can you speak about their customs when you have never lived among them?').
Wildflowers grew among the rocks.
He felt at home among strangers.
UsageUsually before a plural or group noun: among the rocks, among strangers; for one undivided mass, amid is more usual.
Note
The word grew out of mingling. Old English had onġemang, later amang, built on ġemang, "a crowd" or "a mingling." That history explains its preference for things that stay separate: among the rocks, among strangers, among a people whose customs you want to describe.
Practice
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Origin
From Middle English 'among' (also 'amang', 'amonge'), from Old English 'amang', 'onġemang', which was 'on' plus 'ġemang' meaning 'crowd, mixture'. It is related to West Frisian 'mank' and Dutch 'mank', all meaning 'among'.
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 5 facts
- Among derives from Middle English among, also spelled amang and amonge. en.wiktionary.org
- The Middle English word descends from Old English amang, a shortened form of onġemang. en.wiktionary.org
- Old English onġemang was formed from on plus ġemang ('crowd, mixture'). The analysis a- plus mong describes the modern English form. en.wiktionary.org
- Mong means crowd, group or throng. en.wiktionary.org
- Among is related to West Frisian mank and Dutch mank, both meaning among. en.wiktionary.org