among
prep.prep. in the middle of a group of three or more people or things. You can also use it to mean 'one of' a particular group.
prep. indicating inclusion within, movement through, or distribution to the members of a group of three or more. It can also signify being one of a specified group.
The cat is hiding among the bushes.
She felt a little lonely, even when she was among her closest friends.
Among the many proposals submitted, only a few were innovative enough to be considered for the final round of funding.
Etymology tree Old English on Proto-Indo-European *ḱe Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Germanic *ga- Proto-West Germanic *ga- Old English ġe- Old English mang Old English ġemang Old English onġemang Old English amang Middle English among English among The preposition is derived from Middle English among, amang, amange, amonge (“in the presence of, amid, among; in, within; between; during”), from Old English amang, onġemang (preposition), from on (“on, among, in”) (probably ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₂en- (“on, onto”)) + ġemang (“crowd; mixture”, noun) (from ġe- (prefix forming nouns denoting association or similarity) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ḱóm (“beside, by; near; with”)) + mang- (from mængan, mengan (“to mingle, mix”); ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *menk- (“to knead; to press”))). By surface analysis, a- (prefix meaning ‘at; in; on’) + mong (“crowd, throng; group”). The adverb is derived from Middle English among, amang (“accompanied by, along with, by the side of, in association with, together; all the while, continually; also, besides; at the same time; from time to time, occasionally; meanwhile; within”), from Old English onġemang (adverb): see further above. cognates * Dutch mank, maank (“among”) * German mang (“among”) (dialectal) * German Low German mank, manken (“among”) * Saterland Frisian monk, monken (“among”) * West Frisian mank (“among”)
Typically used for relationships involving three or more entities, in contrast to 'between', which is traditionally used for two.
The prize was divided between the three winners.The prize was divided among the three winners.Use 'among' for undifferentiated groups of three or more. 'Between' is typically used for only two people or things, or for distinct, named items.