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

   decide it among yourselves

   a lot of gossip among the women employees

Usage

See between

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

The events would include handball, rowing, water polo, sailing and triathlon, among others.

From Los Angeles Times

Later, he declared outright that climate change, among other reasons, would require the United States to rethink its immigration policy.

From Salon

From the time he moved to remote Michigan, he brought the world to him, amassing thousands of books and corresponding with the savants who resonated the most — Garrett Hardin, the ecologist from University of California, Santa Barbara, and Richard Lamm, the environmentalist and three-term governor of Colorado, among them.

From Salon

The Union of Concerned Scientists, the National Wildlife Federation, Earth First and The Wilderness Society, among others, all published articles or ran campaigns against runaway population growth well into the late 1990s.

From Salon

Long before the great replacement theory became a dominant strain among mainstream conservatives — nearly 7 out of 10 Republicans have said the theory had merit — Tanton, while not using those words, began to define the term.

From Salon