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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.

The move came amid complaints in 2024 over traffic problems during roadworks associated with the development of Grand Central Station.

From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026

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

Previous Animal Services director Staycee Dains resigned amid criticism in 2024.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

Headline and core inflation are expected to accelerate, driven by higher imported energy costs amid rising global crude oil, refined petroleum and gas prices.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

Before her stretched a vast treeless waste, where heather and dwarf willow hugged the ground in a vain attempt to avoid the wind; where small peat-brown lakes shivered amid tossing marsh grass.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

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.