Word
amongst
US/əˈməŋst/
UK/ɐmˈʌŋst/
Definition
prep. in the middle of a group of people or things. It is a slightly more formal way to say 'among'.
prep. situated in the middle of or surrounded by a group of objects or people. Often used to indicate inclusion within a specific class or category.
Examples
“I felt very comfortable amongst my old friends.”
“The small cottage was hidden amongst a dense cluster of ancient oak trees.”
“The document was eventually discovered amongst a pile of discarded manuscripts in the attic, though its historical significance was not immediately recognised by the estate executors.”
Examples
simple
“I felt very comfortable amongst my old friends.”
contextual
“The small cottage was hidden amongst a dense cluster of ancient oak trees.”
complex
“The document was eventually discovered amongst a pile of discarded manuscripts in the attic, though its historical significance was not immediately recognised by the estate executors.”
Usage
Functions identically to 'among' but is more common in British English and formal literary contexts. Often preferred before words starting with a vowel.
Pitfall
amongst of the people
amongst the people
Like 'among', this word is a preposition and should not be followed by 'of'.
Real-World Examples
“There’s been a lot of bad faith this past week but amongst regular people there has traditionally been a lot of good faith.” “Amongst them are soldiers from Ukraine itself: the men who went to war with their own country.” Etymology
From amongs + -t (excrescent), from among + -s (genitive). By surface analysis, among + -st (excrescent). Root among from Old English ongemang, from on (“in”) + gemang (“assemblage, mingling”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Idioms
get amongst it — To throw oneself into doing something, especially a leisure activity or something physical.