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Synonyms

amid

1 American  
[uh-mid] / əˈmɪd /

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 American  

  1. variant of amido- before a vowel.

    amidase.
amid British  
/ əˈmɪd /

preposition

  1. in the middle of; among

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

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.

Etymology

Origin of amid1

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

Origin of amid-2

First recorded in 1870–75

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.

AI providers are hiking prices and throttling usage amid real-capacity constraints, while “tokenmaxxing” is starting to chew up IT budgets, according to O’Regan.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 18, 2026

In 2022, Lyft and Uber temporarily added a surcharge to their fares amid record-high gas prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2026

A return to the top was a distant dream amid the dramas of two groundshares with Northampton and Birmingham, a detested ownership in Sisu, multiple protests and parliamentary mentions.

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026

Shares in Blue Owl Capital OWL 2.07%increase; green up pointing triangle have dropped nearly 40% so far this year amid investor jitters about private credit.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

Surely she couldn’t expect us to travel to the Swiss Hotel, so far from London, amid war?

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

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.